January: BBC TV, radio and sketch writers receive a 2% pay rise thanks to the WGGB. The same month Writers Digital Payments (set up by WGGB and the PMA) pays out over £1 million to writers whose work has been shown on BBC iPlayer.
February: We celebrate a host of talented writers at our annual Writers’ Guild Awards ceremony in London, hosted by WGGB President Sandi Toksvig OBE.
March: This month sees the launch of the Pay the Creator campaign from the Creators’ Rights Alliance and its partners (including WGGB), calling for creators to be paid professionally and promptly and to be given the same considerations enjoyed by other sectors of the industry.
We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and hold a fundraiser screening of Paddington to support creatives living and working in the region.
We also celebrate our annual Olwen Wymark Theatre Encouragement Award winners at a special lunch and announce the Tinniswood Award at the BBC Audio Drama Awards.
April: Playwrights commissioned by the Royal Court, Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre receive a 2% pay rise thanks to WGGB negotiators. We also agree a ground-breaking set of principles to govern the digital broadcast of stage plays by those same theatres.
May: Along with the Society of Authors we publish a report exposing widespread bad practice among companies that charge writers for publication and call for reform of the ‘hybrid’/paid for publishing sector.
June: We hold a special event with leading screenwriters to discuss the future of Channel 4. This is just one of a packed programme of free WGGB online events this year (see the full schedule, and catch up with videos here).
July: Our members from across the UK gather for our third online AGM. Thanks to all of you who came along this year to vote on and steer the direction of your union.
August: We announce 18 recipients of our landmark New Play Commission Scheme, designed in response to the decline in new theatre commissions following the Covid pandemic.
September: We release our TV option agreement template for TV writers.
We run Finance for Freelancers in Uncertain Times, part of a free series of online workshops for WGGB members.
October: We launch a new guide to self-publishing, which provides a step-by-step guide for authors wanting to survive and thrive in the indie sector.
The same month we publish the results of a survey of screenwriters in film which shows that over 70% had not been properly credited in the promotion and distribution of their work (watch this space for a campaign to tackle this problem next year!)
WGGB delegates attend the World Conference of Screenwriters in Copenhagen and we also support the TUC’s #WeDemandBetter campaign, calling for a better deal for working people (throughout the year we have continued to show our solidarity with striking workers across many sectors).
November: 55% of writers we surveyed said that rising energy and food costs were impacting on their ability to sustain a writing career, severely affecting livelihoods, and the cultural industries which depend upon their skills.
We respond to the announcement of an overhaul to arts funding in England which we believe poses an existential threat to new playwriting commissions.
We publish revised guidelines for animation writers and producers.
December: We launch an access rider to reduce access barriers for freelance writers in broadcasting, film, theatre, publishing and videogames.
After a long year of negotiations with Teledwyr Annibynnol Cymru (TAC), which represents Welsh language producers, WGGB signs off an increase in minimum fees of 20%, with effect from 1 January 2023.
Throughout 2022, we have been delighted that so many of you joined us in celebrating Black History Month, LGBTQ+ History Month, Disability History Month and Heartunions Week – thanks to all of you who took part in these and our lobbying and campaigning activity. And a special thank you to WGGB activists across the different craft areas, nations and regions, all working writers whose tireless, voluntary work drives union negotiations and campaigns, improving the lot of all writers.
