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