News

At the end of November 2014, UNI MEI and PANARTES members from Latin America gathered with the International Federation of Actors (FIA) in Lima, Peru in the framework of a joint UNI MEI-FIA LA project co-funded by the Swedish International Trade Union Development Co-operation, LO TCO. The project aims to foster capacity building of trade unions representing workers in the audiovisual sector in Latin America, which is witnessing a tremendous growth across all countries in the region. The seminar enabled in depth exchange between trade unions from over 12 countries from South and Central America to exchange in depth about the current working conditions, terms for collective bargaining in film and TV productions and the scope of cross-border movement of audiovisual workers.

The project will see two major outputs: a comparative study researched by Alberto José Robles, covering 8 Latin American countries and describing the audiovisual sector and scope of trade union action; an interactive on-line tool to inform cross-border workers and to support trade union cooperation to better defend the interests of the workers in the sector.

The Lima seminar will be followed by a series of national workshops across different Latin American countries with the aim to support national trade unions in their efforts to organise workers in the audiovisual sector and to influence national audiovisual policies.

Delegates from all countries also adopted the joint “Lima declaration” calling upon governments to adopt policies to end violence against workers in the sector, to improve working conditions and collective bargaining, and to defend plurality and democracy in the media landscape of Latin America.