The FIA Executive Committee Meets in New Zealand

FIA Executive Committee Event Reports News Resolutions and Statements

The 88th meeting of the FIA Executive Committee was held for the first time in the federation’s history in Auckland, New Zealand, on 3 and 4 October 2024. This was far from an ordinary destination. Since the early 2000s, Equity New Zealand (ENZ), the country’s actors’ union, has undertaken an ambitious restructuring program in close collaboration with our Australian affiliate and other FIA member unions that have volunteered their assistance. It had become evident to everyone that New Zealand was emerging as a prime location for major international film productions, and it was inconceivable that performers in the country should not enjoy fair working conditions, like their counterparts in other countries who have greatly benefited from collective bargaining. This long effort, marked by determination and self-sacrifice under visionary leadership, has been remarkable. The union’s resilience was severely tested during an industrial dispute in 2010 related to the filming of The Hobbit, sparked by the intolerable discrimination between New Zealand cast members and their overseas counterparts. Throughout this dispute, and in the years that followed—marked by drastic anti-labour regulations that prevented collective bargaining for New Zealand performers and barred them from redefining their employment status as subordinate workers—ENZ’s determination remained exemplary.

Today, Equity New Zealand has established itself as one of the most representative unions in the arts and entertainment sector in the country. It has managed to find solutions paving the way for social dialogue for the artists it represents, who are now considered self-employed. Having already negotiated the first collective agreements in its history with several theatres in New Zealand, the union is now preparing to negotiate minimum working conditions and pay in the film and audiovisual production sector.

It is thus in recognition of this dedicated work, as well as to encourage the membership of Equity New Zealand and reassure them of their tight connection with our trade union community despite their geographical distance, that FIA has decided to meet in Auckland.

With a remarkable turnout, the FIA Executive Committee discussed statutory matters as well as the organization of the next FIA World Congress, to be held in Birmingham, UK, from 9 to 15 November 2025. The meeting reviewed the work carried out by several working groups on race equality, ethnic diversity, disability, gender equality, anti-harassment, the rights of LGBTQI+ artists, and collective bargaining in advertising production. It also focused on efforts to encourage generational renewal within the Federation’s member unions and to inspire young people to participate actively in FIA’s deliberations and actions. An extremely rewarding panel examined union strategies to protect the voices of artists from unauthorized exploitation by generative AI. The efforts and major achievements of numerous unions—most notably in the United States (SAG-AFTRA), the United Kingdom (Equity), Turkey (AUT), France (SFA), and Mexico (ANDA)—were presented in detail, generating great interest and serving as inspiration for all other affiliates facing the significant challenges posed by these advanced technologies, particularly in the field of voice.

The rise of online casting platforms was also a subject of fruitful discussion and exchange. Many FIA unions represented on the Executive Committee have made considerable efforts to counter unethical and aggressive practices in this rapidly expanding and concentrated industry. These platforms act as real funnels to employment, monopolizing young artists’ access to casting directors, employing questionable listing policies, and demanding increasingly expensive contributions in the hope of being noticed (essentially a “tax on hope”). These practices are particularly discriminatory against younger talents and other vulnerable groups of artists, who have already been weakened by a prolonged pandemic and the staggering rise in the cost of living that followed.

The Executive Committee also examined the long-term impact of the pandemic on theatre production and live performance. In many countries, audiences have still not returned to pre-pandemic levels, and public funding and philanthropic donations have declined. This situation has led to a reduction in employment opportunities for artists, who have been forced to seek alternative sources of income, thereby compromising their skills and indirectly affecting union resources. In a third panel, speakers reviewed these trends and the strategies adopted by unions to address these challenges. While some managed to maintain or increase their membership by offering support to artists, others had to adapt their organizational structure in response to income losses caused by redundancies or unemployment. The impact of the pandemic also affected union staff, leading to increased stress and burnout. Participants emphasized the importance of providing adequate support for staff members, whose workloads have increased due to heightened administrative challenges. The discussion also highlighted the need to extend collective bargaining coverage to support workers in the most vulnerable areas of employment, particularly independent contractors, in a challenging political and economic environment.

To conclude the meeting, a roundtable discussion offered an opportunity to share the primary union models for compensating performers in streaming with members of the New Zealand union, who are gearing up to negotiate minimum working conditions and remuneration in the audiovisual sector. The conversation also explored the origins of these models and strategies for further developing them to ensure they remain effective in light of declining revenues from traditional content exploitation, the changes introduced by SVOD in content production and distribution, and the effects of these shifts on artists’ employment.

The FIA Executive Committee has approved five resolutions, all carried unopposed. These resolutions address several important issues: support for Danish artists who are facing aggressive practices from the Danish television distributor YouSee/Nuuday, which is refusing to pay exploitation rights; support for the Estonian Actor’s Union advocacy against the suggested cuts in public funding for the cultural sector; support for SAG-AFTRA’s strike against major interactive video game companies; support for the complaint filed by various sectoral trade union federations and the ITUC against the Israeli government for breeching ILO Convention No. 95 by failing to pay the wages of over 200,000 Palestinian workers; and finally, a call for the release of several Israeli and Palestinian artists imprisoned for political reasons.

FIA EC Resolution Supporting DSF against YouSee

FIA EC Resolution Supporting SAG-AFTRA Strike

FIA EC Resolution Supporting ILO Complaint

FIA EC Resolution Calling for release of Israeli and Palestinian artists in Middle East

FIA EC Resolution against the proposed Cultural Budget cuts in Estonia

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