News

The ILO Global Dialogue Forum on Employment Relationships in the Media and Culture Sector (GDF) took place on 14-15 May in Geneva. The GDF brought together representatives from the 4 global unions in the sector, FIA, FIM, IFJ and UNI MEI, representatives of the employers, as well as several governments. The purpose of the GDF was to address employment relationships in the media and culture sector with a view to adopting points of consensus that would encourage future programme development and inform policy-making on the selected topic at the international, regional and national levels.

After two days of debate, the GDF adopted points of consensus, which points to the specificities of the sector and put forward a series of actions that would improve the situation of the workers as well as secure business and employment prospects.

The points of consensus agreed by governments, employers and unions underlines that “fundamental principles and rights at work apply to all workers in the media and culture sector, regardless of the nature of their employment relationship” and that “governments need to apply intellectual property laws and ensure that competition legislation does not obstruct the right of media and culture workers to freedom of association or to engaging in social dialogue with their social partners”.

Further, the points of consensus stresses the need for governments and social partners to develop strategies on training which respond to current and future skill needs. More accurate labour statistics are needed, together with updated definitions especially when it comes to assessing the type of an employment relationship. The particular needs of media and culture workers should be taken into account in social security schemes. Finally, the consensus paper proposes actions in which the ILO could engage to support the sector, such as carrying out research on the employment-creation potential of the sector and drafting good practice guidelines on interns and other forms of unpaid labour in the sector.

UNI Apro MEI President and spokesperson for the global unions, Chris Warren (MEAA, Australia) said “The Forum helped to advanced global dialogue among employers, government and us in many ways.  The most important step forward is that government and employers acknowledge the right of all workers regardless of their employment status to organise and collectively bargain and that there is agreement that competition does not stand over freedom of association and social dialogue.”

The points of consensus can be found under “related files” in English, French and Spanish.