EFJ Backs Strike by Greek Journalists over Respect for Social Standards

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European group of the

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today gave its full backing to the

Greek journalists' union (J.U.A.D.N, J.U.M.-TH.D.N,

P.F.J.U, E.S.P.I.T) for their participation in the 24-hour strike organised by the General

Confederation of Greek Workers.

"As the country is going through a terrible financial and economic crisis,

Greek journalists and media workers are put under pressure, but they should not

suffer from a situation which they are not responsible for," said EFJ

President Arne König. "All over Europe we see social standards attacked in the

name of the crisis, but unions will oppose this and fight

for justice and for the

truth: we do not accept that workers should be

made scapegoats of the financial

crisis".

The EFJ says that its Greek members have legitimate reasons to strike

and deserve solidarity from their European colleagues. Greek

Journalists call for stable and full employment relations instead of increasingly

unsecure working conditions; social security rights, health care and welfare

instead of the wholesale privatisation and the decline of social benefits; collective

agreements in the media sector instead of individual contracts.

This strike is the latest of many industrial actions held over the past

three years by the trade union movement to demand genuine social dialogue and

the guarantee of autonomous social security schemes.

Messages of solidarity to the striking journalists and the unions can be

sent to the following address: [email protected]; [email protected]

For

more information contact the EFJ at +32 2 235 2215
The EFJ represents over 250,000 journalists in

over 30 countries worldwide