The union dues imposed by the Union of Quebec Writers and Writers (UNEQ) will be the subject of a new vote, decided its president, Suzanne Aubry.
The required cash deductions, 2.5% of income for members and 5% for non-members, have been at the heart of a controversy since mid-December. On social networks, authors have accused the association of acting without consultation, on the sly.
Only 46 voters were present at the virtual general meeting of June 20, during which the content of the contributions was approved. Worse still, the invitation e-mail and agenda for the meeting made no mention of the subject of “dues”, revealed The duty Thursday morning.
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Notice of meeting of the general meeting of June 20
In a letter sent to UNEQ members on Wednesday, that The Press was able to consult, the president concluded that there was a “procedural error”.
[Une erreur de procédure] justifies the holding of a new general meeting, during which a new vote will be taken on union dues. I sincerely apologize to those members who participated in good faith in [l’assemblée générale annuelle] of June 20.
Suzanne Aubry, President of UNEQ
It is a member who would have asked the UNEQ last week “to raise a potential irregularity”. “He underlined the fact that the agenda, including the resolution on the establishment of union dues, did not accompany the notice of meeting, whereas our statutes and regulations provide for this provision”, can we read in the letter.
Mme Aubry explains this failure by the fact that “the draft law on the status of the artist was being examined by the National Assembly” when the notices of meeting were sent to the members last May.
Major changes
Since June 3, over-the-counter contracts between authors and publishers provide for a mandatory collective bargaining regime under the Status of the Artist Act. UNEQ, in its new union role, represents both members and non-members. The latter, however, do not have the right to vote, one source of friction among others.
In interview with The Press on December 23, Suzanne Aubry, president of the new union, called on the authors to unite. “We want to negotiate best practices, but we still have to have the writers united behind us,” she pleaded.
The details of the new general assembly must be communicated around January 17, following a meeting of the board of directors. “Given the current context and for the sake of transparency and participatory democracy, the assembly will be scheduled on a date that will allow those who wish to become members and obtain the right to vote”, concludes the UNEQ in his letter.