The executive board of the Union of Quebec Writers and Writers (UNEQ) resigned en bloc Thursday after members expressed “a rejection of the strategic vision” they had built by rejecting the proposal to set up union dues.
In fact, at an extraordinary general meeting on Wednesday, UNEQ members rejected a proposal to levy a contribution of 2.5% on the income of regular members and 5% on the income of non-members. According to the vote count, 248 people opposed the proposal (55.98%), 178 voted in favor (40.18%) and another 17 said they abstained (3.84%).
“By rejecting this resolution, members are demonstrating a rejection of the UNEQ Board’s strategic vision. Since 2018, its primary objective has been to create and implement a collective framework of minimum working conditions for literary artists and remains of the view that introducing union dues would be the best way to fund the implementation of the collective bargaining enabled by the entry into force of the new [L]oi on the artist’s status,” UNEQ said in a press release on Friday.
The outgoing President of the UNEQ Executive Board, Suzanne Aubry, deplored “the vigor of certain statements made on social media or in private exchanges in recent months” and said that the “Members of the Executive Board remain convinced of the absolute need for collective negotiations are minimum conditions for literary artists. It will be up to a new team of elected officials to come up with another proposal to achieve this long-awaited goal for decades. The new [L]oi over the status of the artist is a great victory and remains in our eyes the most valuable element for future progress”.
The collective resignation of the seven members of the UNEQ Board will take effect at the next Annual General Meeting on May 31st.
As for the sale of the writers’ house, the proposal was amended during the March 29 meeting to split it into two parts.
So we end with a decision on the sale of the Writer’s House and with “a decision on an 18-month moratorium aimed at giving priority to acquisition projects whose task would be to promote literature and the profession of writer and writer”. , which was also adopted, has been clarified.