Audiovisual sector workers in Colombia create new union ANTA

On 15 April, workers across the Colombian audiovisual sector united to form the National Association of Audiovisual Workers (ANTA). The new union was created the support of UNI Global Union and other affiliates in the television, advertisement and movie industries.

The new union is the result of months of conversations between representatives of various sectors of the audiovisual industry, and it comes from the urgent need to build a common action plan and unify voices across the full range of AV production specialties.

“ANTA is a response to the need to promote fair working conditions and strengthen the industry,” said Lili Bonil, president of the union. “We are very happy for the step we have taken to be able to push for our labour rights.

A growing number of foreign production companies are coming to Colombia, and it was one of the few countries in Latin America without a union representing all workers in the sector.

“This makes workers much stronger in the eyes of the institutions. Our organization includes all audiovisual associations, therefore, there is a voice and vote of the different workers of each specialty in the sector. We want a fair and equitable organization,” Bonil concluded.

UNI celebrates this major step forward for workers in the industry. “We believe this marks a new chapter in the history of the audiovisual industry in Colombia, and as the union begins its work, we hope it can play an important role in promoting better working conditions and strengthening the sector as a whole,” said Lucia Lindner, Regional Director of UNI Americas MEI.

Throughout this process, workers have identified a number of common challenges and concerns, including the lack of labour regulation and precarious conditions in some segments of the sector. The union says there is much work ahead to effectively represent the industry as a whole and stresses the importance of working to unionize the sector.

“From UNI Américas MEI we are truly proud of ANTA’s achievements”, said Miguel Paniagua, President of UNI Americas MEI. “Their determination and dedication are inspiring examples for all workers in the sector.”