Conflict at Villaseca de la Sagra
The apparent breakthrough in putting on novilladas that I reported on in May has led to conflict between the various taurine unions and threats that professionals taking part in the novillada feria of Villaseca de la Sagra will be banned from performing elsewhere.
The conflict broke out on the morning of September 5 (the feria’s first day) when some 100 members of the Unión de Matadores, the UNPBE (Unión Nacional de Picadores y Banderilleros Españoles) and the Unión de Mozos de Espadas, including the matadors El Fundi and Juan Mora, gathered outside the town’s bullring apparently intent on preventing the opening novillada from taking place. In the end, the festejo went ahead, but only after two of the novilleros, Manuel Diosleguarde and Alejandro Mora, and their cuadrillas withdrew from the event and had to be replaced.
The feria was proceeding under the financial terms agreed between ASPROT (la Asociación de Profesionales Taurinos) and El Foro de la Defensa de las Novilladas, of which Villaseca is a leading member (see my May report). The other unions argue that ASPROT is a minor player and that this agreement undermines the Convenio Colectivo Nacional Taurino, which has already reduced the previously agreed minimum wages by 25% to take account of the difficulties of putting on festejos during the pandemic.
Whilst the Foro/ASPROT agreement reduced cuadrilla members’ earnings by a further 10%, it included guarantees about the timing of payments and also ensured image rights payments were made directly to the individual participants (previously, image rights payments due to UNPBE members were collected by the union).
On September 6, the aggrieved unions widened the conflict still further by stating, “The companies, matadors, novilleros, rejoneadores, picadores, banderilleros and mozos de espadas that violate the National Bullfighting Collective Agreement will not be allowed to participate in the festejos and special circuits that are being put on thanks to the support and sacrifice of committed professionals.”
That day’s novillada at Villaseca, however, went ahead with the participation of the original three novilleros on the cartel - Diego San Román, Jorge Martínez and Manuel Perera. Perera’s manager, Juan José Padilla, commented, “They [the unions] told me in writing that if Perera took part, I would need to bear in mind the consequences because they were not going to permit contracts for my bullfighter elsewhere. This is intolerable. The bullfighters have a legitimate right to torear and we do it knowing that our cuadrillas will charge what is established by the agreement and the novilleros will even recover image rights, which they never receive”.
In the meantime, la Fundación del Toro de Lidia and the empresarios’ body ANOET have met and declared they are against any attempt to boycott or coerce novilleros, while the catchily-named la Comisión de Seguimiento, Vigilancia y Control del Convenio Colectivo Nacional Taurino Extraestatutario has reinforced the fact that the Foro/ASPROT agreement is legally constituted and has said it will instigate criminal charges against anyone putting their name to such threats or actions.