Meeting of the EuroFIA Group, Budapest 07-08 November 2014

The EuroFIA group met in Budapest this November, hosted by Hungarian union SDS in their historical premises.

The EuroFIA group met in Budapest this November, hosted by Hungarian union SDS in their historical premises. Coming in the wake of the naming of the New Commission, the Commissioner hearings and several months into the term of the new European Parliament, the meeting was an important opportunity to take stock. It included a detailed update on these changes and an exchange on the outlook in key policy areas, including IP rights, audiovisual, trade and employment related topics. EuroFIA members also had a chance to take stock of the ongoing work in the European Social Dialogue committees and the various projects that the social partners are engaged in.

The European project on Reaching out to Atypical Workers, for which funding has just been confirmed, was a particular focus for the group, as work on this project will begin towards the end of this year. There was as an indepth exchange regarding the challenges in relation to atypical workers, the various strategies that can be adopted and the possible avenues of action in this area. This project and related work will be a key focus for FIA together with FIM and UNI-MEI in the coming months.

The discussion panels at the meeting focused on the issues of training for trade union officials and on dubbing. On training, experiences varied, but a clear need for more tailored sectoral training was quite broadly felt. On dubbing, there was an interesting exchange on how the sector is evolving and in particular on the challenges that have been created by the advent of new technology which has changed the industry profoundly. Major intensification of work with no corresponding increase of remuneration; lowering of quality standards; and a tendency towards use of amateurs were identified as some of the key challenges in this area.

Resolutions: The group agreed to reissue the Congress motion on self-employed performers and bring to the attention of the Slovenian government in light of its work in this area. EuroFIA will also issue a resolution of support to HDDU in relation to the planned Croatian theatre act. These documents will be circulated as they become available.