Equity union urges council to pay Manchester Pride performers

The union representing 50 performers who’ve been left unpaid as a result of Manchester Pride going bust has known as on the town’s council to disclose when it knew in regards to the charity’s cash hassle.

Equity stated it believed the authority knew organisers won’t have the ability to pay acts, however Manchester City Council has refuted this.

The commerce union has urged the authority to make “good faith payments” to the performers.

But a council spokesman stated: “We 100% reject any suggestion that we were aware that performers at this year’s Pride might not be paid.”

Karen Lockney from Equity stated: “The council must come clean on what it knew.”

The commerce union stated excellent funds to its members ranged from £150 to £5,000 every, totalling greater than £70,000 and rising as extra come forwards.

It has arrange a petition urging the council to foot the invoice.

Equity stated Pride’s liquidation discover confirmed casual conversations between the businesses behind Manchester Pride and liquidators passed off on 30 April 2025 – 4 months earlier than the occasion.

The union stated “some performers were told as they finished their acts to get their invoices in quickly as it was already known that not everyone would be paid”.

It has lodged a Freedom of Information Request to the council.

Ms Lockney stated the union’s members have been the “heart of Manchester Pride” and lots of performers lived “from gig to gig”, that means they’d been left with out cash for hire and payments.

The council stated it had no data of the extent of Manchester Pride Events Limited’s monetary issues till after this yr’s occasion.

A spokesman added: “While we were aware that they were operating in a challenging trading environment, we did not know that they would be unable to meet some of their imminent liabilities.”

He stated the council wished Pride to succeed nevertheless it couldn’t “use its limited resources to take on the private company’s debts”.

The council has agreed to satisfy Equity “to discuss the extent of issues facing their members, what avenues are open to alleviate any potential hardship” and the way Pride occasions could be efficiently staged sooner or later, he added.

BBC Newsbeat revealed on Tuesday that Manchester Pride owed a complete of £1.3m to performers, suppliers and venues, according to a report outlining its finances.

The report stated headline act Nelly Furtado’s firm is owed £145,775.75 whereas first support charity St John’s Ambulance is owed £47,330.40.