The Directors Guild of Canada and the Screen Composers Guild of Canada have unveiled a special alliance aimed at helping composers secure a collective agreement with the Canadian Media Production Association.

The alliance was disclosed Friday and comes after a year of negotiations.

The pact specifically sees the creation of a new DGC membership category for composers. The DGC will then open negotiations with the Canadian Media Production Association on behalf of this new membership sub-group. The composers’ guild remains in existence, and retains its autonomy and mandate under national Status of the Artist legislation, according to a joint statement.

Composers’ guild president Marvin Dolgay said in a joint guild statement: “It is our firm belief that the creation of a collective bargaining agreement will lead to a more transparent and stable environment for both screen composers and producers alike.”

Sturla Gunnarsson, DGC national president, added: “Both associations share core values:  to promote and protect the creative, economical and workplace rights of our members working in the screen-based industry.”