Jamaica launches first actors’ union

With a commitment to ensuring high professional standards, fair wages and safe sets for Jamaican actors, the Jamaica Actors Guild Association (JAGA) was officially launched last week at the Canopy Courtyard in St Andrew. It is the first union of its kind in Jamaica dedicated exclusively to representing and protecting the island’s actors.

The launch marks a historic milestone for the local entertainment industry, giving Jamaican performers, for the first time, a collective, organised voice to negotiate fair compensation and proper working conditions, among other benefits.

Chairman Cornelius Grant said that, until now, Jamaican actors have worked without the protections that performers in other major film markets have relied on for decades. JAGA was founded to close that gap, bringing structure, accountability and dignity to an industry that is rapidly growing in international profile.

“This is about more than paperwork; it’s about building something that will still be strong in 20 years,” Grant said. “It’s the same, whether you’re in theatre or you do short films, indie films, etc, you’re still an actor: we are one. So, our slogan is ‘One Voice, One Guild, One Future’. And we have to stand together. All persons who are Jamaican or of Jamaican heritage are welcome to join JAGA.”

The guild comes at a time when Jamaica’s screen industry is in the middle of a genuine boom. Government officials have pointed to productions such as the Sky Studios limited series, Possession, which employed more than 300 Jamaican cast and crew members and contributed an estimated US$4 million to the local economy, as proof that film and television can become one of the country’s next major exports, alongside music, sport and tourism. Public investment through vehicles such as the Jamaica Screen Fund, and continued interest from international productions, mean more Jamaican actors are working on more sets than ever before.

Dr Deborah Hickling-Gordon, communication and culture-in-development strategist, emphasised the importance of collective bargaining power.

“It’s important as a group of actors and actresses that you stand together. Why? Because governments don’t listen to individuals. Governments listen to a collective. And if you have 50 here and you can gather 50 more, you have 100 voices and 100 stories and, trust me, that is when you start to command respect and your demands are better met,” Hickling-Gordon explained.

Pointing out that an association is only as good as the commitment of its members, she urged actors to “turn up and let your voices be heard”.

Hickling-Gordon also shared that a policy for the cultural and creative industries has been written and is being considered in Parliament.

“You must read it and know what the plans are, and that’s why you now have an association,” she said.

President of JAGA, Michael Nicholson, outlined that, without a union, Jamaican actors have had no standard contract terms, no guaranteed meal breaks or rest periods, no enforced cap on working hours, no formal grievance process, and no collective mechanism to negotiate pay. JAGA was formed to change that, building the same kind of foundation that allowed unions like SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and Actors’ Equity Association to transform acting from precarious gig work into a sustainable profession.

“The truth is, for too long too many actors have accepted unfair practices simply because they believe nothing could be done about it. Too often, if you spoke up, you were labelled as difficult or warned that you might not work again. Like many others, I complained. Then a wise friend said to me, ‘Stop complaining, do something about it.’ Those words changed everything,” Nicholson stated.

He emphasised that actors should trust JAGA because it was created by people who have lived the experience.

“You should trust JAGA because it is our mission, not just to serve a select few, but to represent the interests of the entire performing arts community,” he said.

nicola.cunningham@gleanerjm.com