I am very saddened by all the debate that is rocking the UNEQ because I believe that the changes to the UNEQ’s statute would be very beneficial to all writers.
I would give, as an example, the Association of Directors and Directors of Quebec (ARRQ), which has negotiated several collective agreements for filmmakers and for directors who work in television and on digital platforms. The conditions negotiated include not only the fees, but the conditions of exercise and the protection of copyright, among others. They all benefit from collective agreements guaranteeing them RRSP contributions and contributions to their group insurance plan from their employers, the independent producers. They also have access to an employee assistance program (access to psychologists, social workers, legal advisers, financial advisers, etc.) and life insurance.
Directors, members of the ARRQ, contribute 3% of their income to their association and this percentage is 6% for non-members. By comparison, the UNEQ board of directors proposed 2.5% and 5%.
I believe that writers would benefit from such agreements giving them the right to “decent” salaries, health insurance and a decent pension for the end of their lives. They are also entitled, like other people in society, to decent living conditions. Often a union is the best way to do this.
As for the House of Writers, I can’t believe that writers voted to get rid of this radiant house, in Square Saint-Louis, teeming with artists, right in the heart of the Latin Quarter, French Montreal and its own history. Who are these writers, those who, precisely, create history and heritage and who want to get rid of their own heritage, the Maison des Ecrivains?