A European Day of Action for Journalists Rights

NEW! CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PICTURES OF THE ACTION DAY ACROSS EUROPE

- In the UK and Ireland, the NUJ has set-up an online campaign and planned various events in London, Manchester and in other major cities.
http://www.nuj.org.uk/

See: http://www.standupforjournalism.org.uk/active.html http://www.standupforjournalism.org.uk/events.html
and petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/standupforjournalism/

-Austria: In Austria, the KMSfB, wrote a press release and will organise a symposium on quality journalism together with academia.http://www.kmsfb.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=S02/Page/Index&n=S02_0.a&cid=1193756171196

- Belgium: the AGJPB/ABVV  in collaboration with the EFJ and the Brussels NUJ branch will circulate a four-page leaflet to politicians including Mmebers of the European Parliament.
FR: www.agjpb.be/ajp/
NL: http://www.agjpb.be/vvj/nieuws.php?nieuwsid=541

A public debate with Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe, Lorenzo Consoli, the President of the International Press Corps in Brussels, and the EFJ and NUJ will also take place at the International Press Center-Residence Palace at 10.30am in collaboration with the “Journalists @ Your Service” centre. http://www.brusselsreporter.eu/

-Croatia: The Croatian Journalists' Association and the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists are organising a round table discussion on "Journalists between professional duty and social/job insecurity"and inviting media and government representatives.  

- Cyprus: The union is trying to convince owners of private broadcasting to sign a collective agreement. On 5 November owners will be called to support the agreement if they have not signed it by then. A small demonstration will be organised in Parliament; several meetings about quality and social dialogue are being organised by the union. Read the press release here.

- Denmark: http://information.dk/149620

- Finland: The Finnish Union of Journalists is organising a press conference on quality and trying to get the union president on morning TV. There will be a joint Nordic article by the Nordic EFJ member unions to appear on 5 November.
https://www.journalistiliitto.fi/

- France: A demonstration will take place at 13.30 in Paris in front of the National Assembly and various events will take place around the country.In Marseille at 12.30 journalists will meet and a minute of silence will be devoted to killed journalists. All journalists' unions in membership of the EFJ/IFJ  created an online petition at: www.intersj.info  

- Germany: The dju in ver.di will organise a five minute work stop (10.55-11.00) to remember killed and arrested journalists. The called alos medai owners to join the solidarity action gainst impunity of the murderers of journalists. The public service broadcasting station ZDF will join the action with own activities. https://dju.verdi.de/aktuell/aktionstag_am_5._november_07

The Deutscher Journalisten Verband will hold its annual Congress on 5 November in Saarbrücken and will organise a demonstration on 6 November to protest against worsening working conditions, in particular of freelance journalists as well as new threats to press freedom. A petition regarding the subject of temporary employment will also be circulated to politicians and others. http://www.djv.de/SingleNews.20.0.html?&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1130&tx_ttnews[backPid]=18&cHash=2bb8bdeefb

- Greece: There will be a 2 minutes work break at 14.00 in Greece called upon by all EFJ member unions in Greece.  The Journalists' Union of Macedonia and Thrace Daily Newspapers has produced a leaflet which will be included in the sunday's newspapers' supplement of the two major newspapers in Thessaloniki.
http://www.esiemth.gr/

- Iceland: On 5 November there will be a debate between media owners and the union on quality.

-Ireland: The NUJ in Ireland will organise a seminar discussing the threat to journalism posed by lack of investment and outsourcing. Students and staff at Ireland's oldest journalism college, Dublin Institute of Technology, are giving their support to the campaign. There will also be an event and a press release on the subject of development aid and insufficient foreign coverage. The NUJ in Ireland is also launching a petition in solidarity with Irish Times editor Geraldine Kennedy and journalist Colm Keena regarding protection of sources.

- Italy: The FNSI in cooperation with the general Italian trade unions will organise a demonstration next to the Parliament in Rome on the defence of collective agreements and the right for an agreement for journalists. See also ANSA reports

- Lithuania: The Lithuabian Journalists Union protest in Vilnius (near the Government building) on 5 of November at 11.30. A debate will take place at the LJU offices, with the support of radio stations M-1, Ziniu radijas, FM 99, TV chanell BTV, internet porals www.alfa.lt  and www.delfi.lt., and magazines „Istorijos“, „Zmones“, „Laima“.

- Macedonia: The Association of journalists of Macedonia will join the European action-day by sending appeals to the Macedonian media and ask for 2 minutes work stop at 12.00 as a support of the Union's demands for social, legal and professional security.

- Nordic countries: Journalists' unions will issue a coordinated press release and a joint article will be published.

- Portugal: The union of journalists is preparing actions to protest against the recently adopted new Journalists' statute, which threatens in particular protection of sources and authors’ rights.

- Romania: The journalists' union MediaSind will organise a press conference, public debates, a petition to the government and peaceful picketing in front of the Romanian Parliament. Read the press release here.

-Serbia: The unions plan to organise a public debate with representatives from the media and the government, and they plan to organise a 2 minute work stop at media companies.

-Slovakia: The Slovakian Syndicat has drafted a manifesto, which will be circulated on 5 November to the politicians, the government, to media owners and other interested groups. http://medialne.etrend.sk/tlac/sprava.php?sprava=5459

- Slovenia: The Union of Slovenian Journalists plans a 2 minutes work stop at 12.00 in  support of  the union's demands for social, legal and professional security, a press conference at 14.00 and several actions at local branch level. The union produces also T-shirts with the logo, which journalists throughout Slovenia will wear on 5 November. The national freelance section will prepare a text illustrating the precarious situation of freelances, which will also be part of the press release sent out by the union that day. http://sindikat.novinar.com/index.php.

- Spain: The journalists’ group of the Comisiones Obreras (CC.OO), together with the other unions FAPE and UGT, will issue a joint public statement about the precarious situation of journalists and the defence of quality journalism. The text will be circulated to the government and to employers.

-Sweden: The Swedish Union of Journalists will offer collective agreements to all production companies on 5 November. Some of the companies will be approached by union representatives on 5 November, others will receive it via mail. http://www.sjf.se/

-Switzerland: Impressum, an EFJ affiliate, will circulate the EFJ Freelance Charter to major media employers on 5 November.  http://www.impressum.ch/

- Ukraine: the Independent Media Trade Union (IMTU) will begin a big campaign against unofficially paid news on main Ukrainian TV Channels under the name 'News are not for sale!'. It is planned, that at the midday on 6th of November TV-reporters will announce their protest against unprofessional TV news reports that are paid by politicians or businessmen. After this date, the IMTU will be monitoring all news and at the end of the month they will award a special "anti-prize" named '30 coins' to the company or political person who is the biggest corruptioner of Ukrainian TV-news.


Background:
The European Federation of Journalists is calling for a Europe-wide day of action in promotion of journalists rights on November 5th, 2007. “Stand up for Journalism!”, will protest against the dramatic crisis facing journalists suffering from excessive commercialization, political pressure, falling standards and poor working conditions across Europe. The events will also be a celebration of the crucial role played by European journalists’ unions for the promotion of quality journalism.

The day will consist of protest actions, parties, demonstrations and union rallies at national and local level to highlight key areas of concern and campaigns for EFJ affiliates including work –demands for decent salaries and employment rights; campaigns for quality, independent and ethical journalism; and international solidarity actions against impunity for killers of journalists. Every union, every branch and every workplace will be encouraged to organise an event linking journalists across Europe.

Member unions in many European countries have been very active in promoting journalists’ rights, collective agreements and quality journalism. The EFJ Steering Committee agreed that it is time for the EFJ as a European Federation to stand up together in solidarity and organise different kind of actions under the common slogan ‘Stand Up for Journalism’. In the coming weeks we will propose actions and events to be organised at national, regional and local level together with our members. We would like to get staff and freelance journalists from all media involved.

We are urging you to start discussing with your boards and branches what kind of creative actions would be most suitable.

Actions may include:
• Industrial action such as workplace union meetings on the day
• Protests and lobbying;
• Public meetings; petitions and letters to politicians and public supporters;
• Social events with musicians and other artists;
• Mass grievance at work where everyone puts in official complaints about their wages, working hours and conditions;
• Short work break in commemoration of killed journalists;
• “Carnival” for press freedom and quality journalism.

There can be many other possibilities to draw attention to the event but the key thing is to get members involved.

Join this call for action and Stand Up for Journalism across Europe.

YOUR input will be crucial to make this day an unforgettable day of success in the history of EFJ solidarity.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call us at the EFJ/IFJ secretariat at 32 2 235 2200or email: efj@ifj.org