FIA-LA and UNI MEI-Panartes joint Steering Meeting and Gender Equality Seminar, Buenos-Aires, 6-10 November 2017

Gender Equality Seminar, Buenos-Aires

A small delegation of FIA-LA and UNI MEI Panartes delegates met in Buenos Aires from 8 to 10 of  November 2017 to prepare a new 5-year joint regional project cycle, financed by Union to Union, that is scheduled to begin in 2018.

A previous meeting held in Uruguay on 29-31 March 2017 allowed delegates to draw conclusions on previous work and identify further actions to enhance AV unions ‘clout and  sustainability. All AV unions from the region agreed to further focus on how to innovate internal union governance and strategies in order to attract more young workers, communicate better to members and to public authorities, and carry out successful collective bargaining in an increasing digital and multinational sector. They also agreed to increase gender equality within union structures and at the workplace.  The new 5 years’ project will start in 2018 and will be carried out jointly by UNI and FIA in close cooperation with their Swedish member Teaterförbundet (TF).

The focus of the new project cycle (2018-2022) will therefore be on three main priority areas in which AV union leaders agreed to develop knowledge and new innovative tools to further strengthen and professionalise AV unions in Latin America. Their goal will be to: 

- Increase capacity of AV union leaders through targeted trainings and seminars on the following main topics: organising of workers (in particular young workers), collective bargaining and communication with members and public authorities. This includes specific targeted capacity building measures for AV union leaders on organising and collective bargaining for weaker and/ or younger AV unions in Colombia and Peru.

- Increase capacities of AV union leaders on gender equality in union structures and governance and increase gender equality and diversity in the work place.

- Support capacities of AV unions on cross-border mobility of AV workers in the Latin American region.  

A Gender Equality Seminar also took place previous to the Steering Meeting, on 6 and 7 of November. The Seminar, reserved to female union leaders, aimed at exploring specific activities that could be carried out in Latin America to improve Gender Equity in the AV sector, with the help of international expert Veronica Fernandez Mendez (Head of UNI Equal Opportunities, UNI Global). In this meeting, the group decided the objectives and priorities for the next 5 years would be to:

- Improve representation of women within the unions and in the sector

- Fight gender based violence in all its forms

- Enhance equality of opportunities and salary

In 2018, FIA and UNI MEI will organize a leadership training and mentorship program for women within the AV unions. The next joint seminar is scheduled to take place in Buenos-Aires beginning of December 2018.