Swedish TV/Film Industry Updates Union Agreement

The Swedish industry for Television and Film has not always been best and it is first now after it’s been given the scrutiny and a new agreement between the production companies and the industry union has formed to give the employees better working conditions.

It is not easy to work in the entertainment industry. It is long hours and fairly bad conditions between the employee and the employer. There is often a tight schedule for production and a limited budget. Often with freelance, there is no secure earning when being unemployed. It is fairly a risky economic business and without securing that gap between joblessness and a freelance gig, it could end your career as a freelancer within the economic aspects.

The competition is hard as people strive to compete for their paying eyeballs. Ideas evaluate and fail miserably, where shows often are copied from other countries. And considering the impact the pandemic has had, people have changed careers and people had to shut down their businesses because no one wanted to hire anyone due to the economic risk-taking.

To Swedish Television, Simon Norrthon, The Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film chairman, has commented on the matter.

“Money is central in the film and television industry and it is clear that it is important for these companies to appear, representative, inclusive and good. But I also want to believe that it has contributed to increased knowledge, that they want to do good.”

But as The Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film has an agreement with a couple of some companies, indicated that it could be a better situation with improved results. It is about time because some employees have been treated people bad sending them to a dark lit room without air condition or having an issue with a silenced culture where everybody can do whatever they want without consequences. The industry itself is also infected with nepotism.

The attention to the industry has been brought with attention mostly due to the rape accusation that occurred at one of the Stockholm-based companies. The pay will increase lightly by a few percent if now companies agree to follow this agreement. The problem is as well that the industry might have known these working conditions and has not prevented them. The agreement is valid between 01/01/2021–31/05/2023.

The union was founded in Gothenburg in 1894 and has now over 8, 000 members.

Link to the agreement.