Wage fixers: Competition and Markets Authority tunes into pay collusion in TV

What happened?

Between 2017 and 2022, a number of UK broadcasters and production companies exchanged confidential information about the wages paid to their freelance staff (such as camera operators and sound technicians). They also agreed not to undercut each other on pay.

These practices amounted to wage-fixing and unlawful information sharing, restricting competition and harming freelancers by suppressing pay and limiting mobility.

Why does it matter to employers?

The case signals a clear warning: employment-related agreements, even informal ones, can breach competition law (see also our earlier article here). Even practices that may have been regarded as commonplace in an industry, or that may make sense commercially, are not immune.

The freelance pay case is not an isolated incident:

• The CMA recently conducted another investigation into non-sport TV production. While it was closed due to administrative priorities, it similarly focused on suspected anti-competitive behaviour in hiring and freelance contracting.
• In June 2025, the European Commission fined two online food delivery companies €329 million for a “no-poach” agreement, whereby the companies agreed not to hire or solicit each other’s employees. This case likewise involved the firms sharing commercially sensitive information, like pricing models, operational capacities, commercial strategies and cost structures.
• EU Member States such as France, Germany and the Netherlands have also launched probes into recruitment collusion and freelance pay coordination.

These cases reflect a broader enforcement trend targeting collusion in recruitment and pay practices, with a view to protecting worker mobility and wage competition.

Practical tips for employers

Drawing on recent enforcement actions and guidance from the UK CMA and the European Commission, here’s how employers can reduce antitrust risk in labour market practices:

• Avoid wage-fixing and no-poach agreements. These are serious restrictions under both UK and EU competition law.
• Do not share commercially sensitive information with competitors. This includes confidential information in relation to pay rates or freelance fees; hiring plans or recruitment strategies; and cost structures, capacity, or geographic expansion plans. Such exchanges, even informal or via WhatsApp, can be treated as serious infringements.
• Train HR and senior leadership on competition risks in recruitment and employment practices.
• Do not assume local scope means low risk. While many labour market cases are handled by national authorities, the EU Commission is actively coordinating enforcement across Member States.

Bottom Line: Labour market collusion is firmly on the radar of European competition authorities. Employers should treat recruitment and pay practices as a competition law risk area and take proactive steps to ensure compliance.

If you would like to understand whether you are at risk in this area, please get in touch.