Music Festival Volunteer Worker’s Rights.

Volunteers are an essential part of music festival operations and depending on the size of event could number anything from a handful of people to hundreds. Volunteers are recruited by organisers on the basis of an agreement that rewards them with event access in exchange for helping with various tasks. What rights do volunteers have when working on this basis?

Whilst most festival organisers have well run volunteer programmes with excellent recruitment, training and treatment there are still unscrupulous organisers who may take advantage of their volunteers. Many volunteers work for festivals every year and they find the experience enjoyable and rewarding. It is essential that organisers and volunteers understand the rights of volunteers to ethical and fair treatment in an environment that promotes safety, respect and reasonable working conditions. 

Legal Status. 
In most jurisdictions volunteers are not classified as employees and therefore do not attract the same rights as them. However, volunteers still receive the same protection as employees under legislation relating to Health & Safety Laws, Equality & Anti-Discrimination Laws plus Fair Treatment & Ethical Guidelines. The Equality Act 2010 (UK) protects volunteers from unfair treatment for example. If festival organisers start demanding full-time commitment or treating volunteers like paid staff they could be legally classified as workers entitling them to pay, holidays and other set benefits. 

Fair Treatment and Working Conditions. 
Festival organisers usually run their volunteer programmes in a fair and reasonable manner with shifts of about 4 hours a day matched to the skills and capabilities of each individual. If an organiser has a full-time staff member go sick, they cannot use volunteers as a replacement to perform the same duties for example. Volunteering should not be used as a disguise to recruit people to perform roles usually done by full-time permanent staff. Volunteers should be treated fairly and should not ever feel threatened or penalised during their work. They are entitled to reasonable rest breaks between shifts and should not be exploited to perform unnecessarily long hours. Anyone working on a festival site whether they are volunteers or employees must never face any discrimination based on age, gender, race, disability, religion, or sexual orientation. Similarly, organisers should prevent any instances of harassment, bullying or exploitation. 

Health and Safety. 
Festival organisers have an obligation under health and safety regulations to provide a safe environment on their festival site for everyone present. It is normal for well-run events to provide sufficient health and safety training for volunteers prior to the live dates. This training almost always includes safety briefings and creating an awareness of health and safety hazards typically found on a festival site. Organisers will usually create processes and procedures for emergencies as part of their planning and this needs to be provided to volunteers in their training sessions. The UK’s Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) applies to volunteers as well as employees and similar laws apply in other jurisdictions too. 

Agreements. 
During the volunteer recruitment process potential applicants will be given a copy of an agreement to sign. The volunteer agreement is not an employment contract which is an important difference from a legal perspective. An agreement should outline the roles and responsibilities of volunteers along with the expected working hours. Organisers will specify on an agreement what the volunteers will be provided with which typically may include meals, refreshments and in some cases accommodation and transport. Alternatively, some organisers prefer to reimburse reasonable costs for travel, meals and accommodation after the event although they are under no legal obligation to make these reimbursements. If an agreement is not forthcoming and benefits are not clearly stated this may deter volunteers from applying to work for that festival. Agreements may also state specific processes for volunteers to raise concerns or make complaints about unfair treatment, discrimination or harassment for example. Organisers usually put in place robust volunteer management processes with supervisors who will be available to counsel any concerned volunteer and escalate issues as necessary. 

For festival organisers planning their next events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics including a dedicated Volunteer module. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

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