Representatives of media and entertainment unions in the Asia and Pacific region made a call for action for UNI Apro to campaign with the MEI sector for the independence of broadcasters during the regional conference in Kathmandu, 20-22 November.
Addressing conference, UNI Apro MEI President Masatoshi Nakamura underlined the importance of the universal service that broadcasters provide. The entire UNI Apro family needs to defend this free public space for a diversity of opinions, a space to give workers a voice for making the case for a just digital transition!
Delegates of the sector came together for a meeting of the UNI Apro MEI Committee ahead of the UNI Apro regional conference and discussed the priorities for actions regarding the cooperation with ABU in the framework of the global framework agreement (GFA). UNI and ABU have signed a GFA in 2012 and have been implementing several joint actions to promote social dialogue across the region during the last six years. Going forward, UNI Apro MEI wants to focus on health and safety and equality and review the GFA until the UNI MEI General Assembly to be held for the first time in the Asia Pacific region (Bangkok, Thailand, 23-24 February 2021). At the same time, broadcasting unions will continue growing their network and strengthening regional union to union cooperation. The unions want to work together on organising campaigns and exchange on strategies to effectively tackle outsourcing in the audiovisual industry.
The events in Kathmandu also provided an opportunity for delegates from the region to visit the national broadcasters NTV (television) and RTV (radio) and to exchange with workers and management of both organisations. The delegation was able to get an idea of the state of the preparations for the coverage of the South-Asian Games that are held in December in Kathmandu. The key challenge for the Nepalese broadcasting organisations is to manage the digital transformation. NTV, which broadcasted the inauguration of the UNI Apro Conference with Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli live, has already switched to digital TV transmission, but the national radio services still need to implement a digital plan.
