In February 2023, the ILO’s Technical Meeting on the Future of Work in the Arts and Entertainment Sector took place in Geneva, Switzerland, with the participation of a large FIA delegation. It found that social dialogue, including collective bargaining, plays a fundamental role in building a sustainable and professional industry, facilitating equal access to technologies, fostering entrepreneurship, advancing the transition to formality and the prevention of informalization, as well as promoting effective and inclusive labour market institutions and a safe and healthy work environment. The conclusions of the meeting emphasize, among other key points, the importance of social dialogue grounded in respect for freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining as essential to ensuring decent work in the sector.
Prepared as a follow-up action arising the meeting, this newly published 2025 policy guidance note aims to enhance the capacity of the ILO’s constituents – governments as well as employers’ and workers’ organizations – to respect, promote, and realize the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining in the arts and entertainment sector. It does so by presenting examples and practices of social dialogue, collective agreements and policy interventions from different regions of the world. These examples were identified through relevant international organizations that represent the social partners in the arts and entertainment sector and were consequently examined via desk research and interviews conducted with social partners at the national level.
The first section presents ILO standards on collective bargaining and reviews regulatory developments as well as initiatives by the social partners that support the effective implementation of these rights in the arts and entertainment sector. The section also explores the most pertinent challenges to collective representation in the arts and entertainment sector and highlights strategies such as expanding membership and strengthening employers’ and workers’ organizations through initiatives like capacity building and international collaboration.
The second section highlights innovative collective agreements and social dialogue initiatives from diverse geographical regions and subsectors within the arts and entertainment industry. For example, in the film industry, agreements have demonstrated the role of collective bargaining in regulating the use of AI, informing subsequent legislative efforts on AI governance. In the live performance sector, social partners have reached an agreement that establishes minimum fees for self-employed workers.
Additionally, a collective agreement negotiated by a union with a music venue has successfully improved earnings while ensuring equal pay for men and women in a country where informal work is widespread. The final section reflects on the identified pathways to promote collective bargaining in the arts and entertainment sector. It emphasizes the potential of collective bargaining as a bottom-up approach to regulation that can serve as a mechanism for responding to the fast-evolving nature of the sector. By effectively balancing the interests of employers and workers, collective bargaining can play a critical role in ensuring decent working conditions across this diverse and dynamic sector.
