It is in solidarity that the Union of Quebec Writers (UNEQ) will be able to play its new union role and make significant progress in the world of publishing, believes its president, Suzanne Aubry.
“We want to negotiate the best practices, but we still have to have the writers united behind us,” she says in an interview with The Press.
Authors’ contributions, voted at the UNEQ general assembly in June and recently revealed in the media, are under fire from critics. Members will pay 2.5% of their earnings to the union while non-members will pay double, 5%.
Mme Aubry, in an open letter published this Friday in the Debates section of The Pressargues for a strong union.
We want to bring together those who believe in the need to work together, in union, in solidarity, to build a more just and equitable environment.
Suzanne Aubry, President of the Union of Quebec Writers
Since June 3, over-the-counter contracts between authors and publishers have been replaced by a system of mandatory collective bargaining under the Status of the Artist Act. “It’s a huge change in the world of literature, both for writers and for publishers, notes Mme Aubrey. There are lots of questions and we try to answer them as best we can. It is a challenge to reach non-members, for example because they do not have voting rights. »
The UNEQ board of directors intends to meet in January in order to “address this question as a priority”.
In recent days, many authors have denounced their new financial obligations in social networks. “I am not a member of UNEQ and I do not understand why writers, who are already at the bottom of the book food chain when you think about it, should pay this forced subscription”, wrote Geneviève Pettersen in particular, author of The Goddess of Fireflies and of queen of nothingon Facebook.
“A titanic battle”
Last June, less than 50 UNEQ members were present at the general assembly where the resolution on dues was approved, revealed The duty last Wednesday. UNEQ’s statutes and regulations do not provide for a quorum.
We have been criticized for the fact that membership fees were a way of forcing authors to become members, but it is a way of financing negotiations that will benefit all authors.
Suzanne Aubry, President of the Union of Quebec Writers
Union levies are necessary to wage a “titanic battle”, she continues. “It’s a means, not an end. We hired a lawyer experienced in labor law. We will need other expertise during the negotiations. We face big players, like Sogides, who have the means to hire the best lawyers in entertainment law. »
During the negotiations, the UNEQ wishes in particular to tackle the low royalties, the complete transfer of rights, abusive practices and the lack of supervision of disputes. “The writers of Quebec refuse to continue to tolerate these practices which contribute to maintaining them in precariousness”, writes the president of the UNEQ in the pages of The Press.
“Consequently, UNEQ organizes itself, structures itself, sometimes makes mistakes, learns, rolls up its sleeves and wins small and big victories. »