A FRINGE volunteer has issued a warning to Edinburgh locals after they were axed from flyer duty by a comedian who allegedly couldn’t afford to pay them – despite having taken on another employee.
The worker, who has opted to stay anonymous, told how they were sacked yesterday after the comedian told them that they couldn’t afford to pay them for their duties.
However, this left the Edinburgh local perplexed as their employer had just taken on another worker the previous day.
The comedian’s show was a hard sell according to the volunteer, as it began at 11:30pm and was set against a bizarre performance of the comic miming sex acts.
The worker went on to tell of how shocked they were to be told they were surplus to requirements, as they were allegedly told by others how well they had been performing.
The now-unemployed Fringe worker claims they were even offered a job by another comedian as a result of their good work, but is now using the tale as a reminder of how dispensable low-cost labour can be.
The poster took to social media yesterday, to tell of their experience, writing: “Just wanted to say – be careful with flyer-ing work.
“I got s**tcanned today because the comedian said he couldn’t afford the payrate anymore, and that the people he got through my flyer-ing ‘wasn’t equivalent’ to his potential income.
“The previous night, he literally hired an extra person midway through my shift, who presumably is earning less (UPDATE: They aren’t, he’s just a chancer).
“For what it’s worth, I think I did a genuinely good job of flyer-ing- enough to get compliments from other people working at the venue and I even got a job offer from another comedian.
“The thing is, getting people to see a comedy show at 11:30pm is you’re either en-route to a nightclub or in bed. No-one can turn water into wine. Even if, like me, they really try.
“During my final shift, he asked me what ‘the strategy’ was. I ummed and ahhed a bit because he put me on the spot.
“I hadn’t eaten and I was midway through getting more flyers to hand out and that was basically interpreted as a performance evaluation.”
The poster added the warning: “You are very disposable to these people and there’s no contract.
“Obviously, this isn’t in the faintest a surprising thing but you will be exploited and then dumped when it is convenient.
“Even if your act is performing for the full run, you probably won’t be. You’ll be the fall guy for when nobody wants to see them mime having sex for five minutes straight.”
The post received dozens of likes and comments as many outraged locals shared their support for the anonymous user.
One person wrote: “It’s a tough life for acts at the Fringe to get audiences, so competitive. Shame on this comedian who treats workers like this, you need to be paid for your labour.”
Another said: “The Fringe and the various shows depends a lot on the good will of the residents of Edinburgh.
“Stories like this simply indicate that Fringe is just way too big and has gotten out of hand.”
A third commented: “Name and shame the cretin.”
A fourth added: “I think stories like this just confirm that stand-up comedians can be w***ers.”
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe sees more than 400,000 visitors come to the Scottish capital to take in the world’s biggest arts and culture festival.
