A new independent,
democratic and militant trade union for artists, media and creative industry
workers will be launched in Johannesburg on December 3, 2015.
The South African
Media Creative and Cultural Workers Union (SAMCCWU) is a progressive trade
union organisation that will represent, protect and fight for the rights of
filmmakers, writers, musicians, arts educators, craft workers, television crews
and technicians, workers in radio broadcasting, tourism as well as those
employed in government arts and culture departments, cinema and production
houses and academic institutions.
SAMCCWU national
convenor Basil Dube said that despite the positive developments that have
happened recently such as the release of the Copyright Review Commission headed
by Judge Farlam, and the Copyright Amendment Bill, there was a need for a
strong, vibrant and militant labour union that will strive to improve the
working conditions of workers in the media, creative industries and its allied
sectors.
“There are
important and very progressive recommendations made by the Copyright Review
Commission. We need a labour union that will represent artists and ensure that
these recommendations are being implemented,” says Dube, who is also the former
national organiser of the Cosatu-affiliated Musicians Union of South Africa.
Dube said that
SAMCCWU will be the new home of South African artists and will fearlessly
campaign for an improvement of their working conditions.
Some of the key
areas the new union will immediately address include sectoral determination,
standard contracts for artists and filmmakers, review of artists fees,
regulation of foreign artists visiting or working in South Africa, status of
children working in the media and performing arts sectors, collective
bargaining and the legal protection of artists and cultural workers.
Dube said that the
union will embark on a mass mobilisation and consultative programme in all nine
provinces leading up to the launching congress of SAMCCWU in May 2016.
“We are currently
holding information sharing discussions with various industry associations,
organisations, councils and federations, also with a view to establish
strategic partnerships. SAMCCWU will not affiliate to any political
organisation,” concluded Dube.
For more
information and participation in the provincial consultations and campaigns, email
the national convenor on basildube5@gmail.com
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