HISTORY (spanish version)

The Unión de Actores de Madrid was founded in 1986. It all began in February of that year, when the news broke that the Cabinet Ministers were ready to approve a decree that made actors self-employed workers The profession closed ranks and,
at one of the massive assemblies that used to be held in those times, decided to create a commission to prepare the statutes of an independent union organisation that would represent actors.


The Unión de Actores de Madrid was born and notarised in June 1986. Since then the Unión de Actores de Madrid, faithful to its principles, has become an organisation that is always at the forefront of the defence of the sector’s rights. In 1987 together with the Associació d'Actors i Directors Professionals de Catalunya, the Madrid Union created the Federación de la Unión de Actores del Estado Español, which through the years on a nationwide level has negotiated the agreement with TVE, the Cinema Agreement and the first Audio-visual Agreement. Within the Madrid Region, the Unión de Actores de Madrid has negotiated two Regional Agreements on Theatre. In 2000 it signed an agreement with the dubbing studios of the Madrid Region recognising the validity of the Dubbing Agreement but agreeing to negotiate the subject of remuneration apart.

In 1999 the profession rose up again to defend the fulfillment of Social Security obligations towards members of the profession, adjusting the actors’ scale of contributions and benefits to that of the other workers. The social security of the sector’s professionals, therefore, is closely linked to the life of the Unión de Actores. In recent years the Union has made it a cause celebre to help actors deal with “regularization” campaigns periodically launched by the Treasury Department of the Social Security, which have examined contributions corresponding to the years 1994,1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Our flexibility is always put to the test by the difficult dates the administration choses to regularize, a challenge we have incorporated into our daily life. The mere fact, however, that no payments retroactive from the year 2000 have been claimed by these regularizations speaks for the advantages the Union has achieved for the sector at the negotiation table with the Public Administration.

During 2002, on behalf of the current Federación de Actores del Estado Español, a change in the quota system was negotiated with empresarios and the government so that the special category of artists was maintained within the Seguridad Social system. An agreement between the sector and the government was reached in December 2002. During 2003 some problems have arisen in the practical application of the new sytem which to date is pending a decree of implementation and development.

Every year the Unión de Actores holds a ceremony awarding prizes for the best work in cinema, theatre and television. The Union publishes the magazine “Actores” which, over the past two years, has printed special collectionable editions on the History of Spanish Actors in conjunction with the Theatre Museum in Almagro. It also publishes the Guide to Spanish Actors and Actresses every two years, an essential reference book used both in Spain and internationally. worldwide. Most recently the new web page offers the sector the entire range of support services offered by the Union de Actores.