The discontent does not subside within the Union of Quebec writers and writers (UNEQ), which is once again accused of lacking transparency. The duty already reported last week that only 46 people were present at the general assembly during which it was decided that all Quebec authors should pay a membership fee to the UNEQ. Now we learn that the members had not been made aware that such a crucial vote would take place during this general assembly.
In a brief e-mail sent to its 1,600 members at the end of May, UNEQ invites its members to participate in its annual general meeting the following month, but it does not mention that the subject of membership fees will be discussed there, and even less that a vote on the matter will take place.
Those who had confirmed their presence at the June 20 virtual meeting were entitled to a little more detail in the agenda sent to them a few days before. In the document, a copy of which was obtained The duty, one of the points is called “Act respecting the status of the artist: presentation, questions and resolution”. That said, it is not indicated in black and white that the issue of dues was going to be raised at this time of the meeting.
“It is a great lack of transparency! It should have been written in red on the first summons. This is a question that has an impact on all authors in Quebec. It should even have been decided in an extraordinary assembly. Me, in any case, it is certain that, if I had known that there was going to be a vote, I would have presented myself ”, protests the author Sophie-Luce Morin, who writes in particular for youth.
It is certain that, if we had been informed, there would have been many more than 46 people at the meeting
For her, there is no doubt that many more people would have participated in the general assembly if UNEQ had clearly said that the subject of membership fees was on the agenda. The outcome of the vote might have been different, suggests Sophie-Luce Morin.
On June 20, 46 members were still connected to the general assembly when the resolution on dues was adopted by 44 votes for, one vote against and one abstention. This is how it was decided that authors who are members of UNEQ should pay their union 2.5% of their income. Non-member writers are charged a 5% membership fee. A result that was only revealed in December.
Pressure for a new vote
The UNEQ has the right to demand a contribution from all authors in Quebec, members and non-members alike, since the recent reform on the status of the artist which now gives it the power to form a union. The first negotiations between UNEQ and publishers are underway. The amounts set at the June general meeting could come into effect when the first collective agreement is ratified.
“I agree with UNEQ becoming a union and I understand that authors have to pay a subscription. I don’t know anyone who is against that. My problem is the way in which the decision was taken”, points out Sophie-Luce Morin, who has otherwise always had good experiences with UNEQ. “We know that in general meetings, things happen quickly. It’s easy to get screwed over. We should have taken the time to analyze all this, to discuss it… By going so quickly, it sends the message that everything was arranged in advance, ”she continues.
Member of the UNEQ for twenty years, the author Éric Dupont also criticizes the organization for having hidden the holding of the vote on the contributions. He is now asking for a new general meeting. “I was out of the country in June, so I wouldn’t have been able to attend. But it is certain that, if I had seen before the resolution which was adopted, I would have climbed in the curtains. I would have told everyone to go vote, because it doesn’t make sense! And I’m not the only one to think that. It is certain that, if we had been informed, there would have been many more than 46 people at the meeting, ”says Éric Dupont.
In interview at Homework last week, the director general of UNEQ ruled out the idea of a new general assembly. He defended the legitimacy of the vote, even though few people had answered the call. To defend his position, he reiterated that all UNEQ members had received an invitation beforehand. It was not possible to speak with Laurent Dubois on Wednesday.
UNEQ attacked from all sides
Two of the seven members of the board of directors of the Union of Quebec Writers recently resigned before the end of their term. “For professional reasons,” reads an email sent to members last week. “It’s really a combination of circumstances. I had already warned that I was going to leave my post in the fall”, assures one of the two resigners, Mathieu Boutin, who continues to defend tooth and nail the transparency of the UNEQ.
The fact remains that the association has been facing strong criticism within the literary community for two weeks. Several non-member authors are indignant at having to pay a subscription twice as high as the members. Non-members had also not been invited to participate in the general assembly last June.
The former director general of the UNEQ, Pierre Lavoie, publishes, for his part, an open letter this Thursday. The one who was in office from 1993 to 2010 criticizes the current management for wanting to sell the Maison des écrivains. This ancestral residence in Square Saint-Louis, whose value is estimated at $2.4 million, served as the head office for thirty years for the UNEQ, which wishes to dispose of it by the spring to s set up in the offices of the Union des artistes. The organization says it needs income to meet its new union mandate.
An explanation that does not convince Pierre Lavoie, who criticizes the UNEQ for a lack of consultation. “It is clear that in wanting to strengthen its union role, the UNEQ is abandoning an important part of its original mandate: the promotion and distribution of Quebec literature,” he wrote.