UNI MEI General Assembly 2011: bringing about change
The UNI MEI General Assembly, Mexico City, 29 November – 1 December 2011 resulted in adoption of a policy programme “creativity, diversity, dignity – bringing about change”. Affiliates endorsed several solidarity resolutions supporting campaigns of affiliates across the world and elected a new leadership.
Gerry Morrissey, General Secretary of BECTU, United Kingdom was elected new President of UNI MEI. In his message to participants Gerry thanked former President Bleicher-Nagelsmann (VERDI, Germany) for his outstanding work and commitment and vowed to work with affiliates to bring about change to in the media & entertainment industry to the benefit of workers’ and unions’ rights. Matt Loeb (IATSE, US & Canada), President Bleicher-Nagelsmann (VERDI, Germany), Pierre Vantorre (F3C-CFDT, France, Chris Warren (MEAA, Australia) and Particio Flores (SITATYR, Mexico) were elected Vice Presidents.
Morrissey underlined the importance of building a global IP culture to secure sustainability of the media & entertainment industry and good jobs in the digital economy. “It takes risky investment and hard work over many years to continually make good entertainment and information. We need to ensure that societies recognise the value of investment and work in the creative industries and value creativity”.
Affiliates adopted a resolution calling for building a global IP culture and to widen UNI MEI’s global campaign on intellectual property rights beyond the protection of creative content and remuneration of creators. The campaign will reach out to all stakeholders and decision makers as well as civil society. The aim is to bring about change in legislation, industrial policy and education to recognise intellectual property as a driver for creativity, the fundament for artistic and creative freedom and the basis for economic sustainability for the entire creative industry.
Ensuring freedom of association, the right to organise all workers in each workplace, and the promotion of equality in the sector and unions are the pillars of the organisation’s work to bring about more dignity for working people in the media, entertainment and arts.
The debate on freedom of association underlined that an unprecedented number of freelance workers in the entertainment and media sector are now facing a host of challenges - from the lack of social protection, healthcare, retirement to, perhaps most importantly, the denial of their right to organise and bargain collectively minimum terms and conditions. As this is developing, a growing number of workers work without the benefits of union protection. Affiliates affirmed that unions need to extend their memberships and make a priority of embracing not just workers in a traditional employment relationship but equally freelance, casual workers, fighting for their right to be represented collectively - whilst hammering on the need to guarantee core labour rights to all.
By adopting a resolution on organising UNI MEI affiliates vowed to continue to develop organising campaigns in key and new areas of the digital economy, to build capacity to develop organising skills and campaigns, to promote social dialogue as a tool for union organising and to enhance union access, recruitment and services. The conclusions of global framework agreements with global and regional media companies and with industry associations is a key strategic objective of UNI MEI to ensure the right of workers to collective representation and social dialogue in each workplace across the globe. UNI MEI commits to work for a social dimension of the global media and entertainment industry.
With the adoption of the European framework of action on equality in the audiovisual sector signed by social partners in October and the implementation of a new rule to ensure 40% representation of women in all decision making bodies progress has been made in equality. Affiliates committed to step up efforts to fight against discrimination and for implementation of equality policies in the sector. The resolution on equality stresses that part of what needs to be achieved is to ensure women have access to the types of work usually dominated by men. Further, UNI MEI and its affiliates will need to tackle pay inequality and needs to ensure that we use all the means of communication open to us to raise the issues and help to change perceptions. We can help reach people and change their views.
To promote diversity is fundamental to secure and enhance the rich cultural heritage and diversity of expressions in the global information society of the 21st century. Public values in the cultural sector are of importance to achieve this. Public service broadcasting should serve the needs of citizens not the demands of the market, UNI MEI's General Assembly in Mexico City declared. Delegates also vowed to step up campaigns to defend and extend public service broadcasting, media pluralism and cultural diversity. Motions supporting the action of unions at the BBC, Greek Television, in Korea, Spain and Hungary to fight cuts in budgets, job losses and to protect media pluralism and public service broadcasting were passed unanimously.
Download all resolutions from the menu “related documents” at top of this page.