European Journalists Back Strikers at Radio France in Battle Over Pay Discrimination

The European Federation of Journalists, which represents more than 250,000 across Europe, today called for solidarity with journalists of Radio France, on strike since 27 January to call for harmonisation between their salaries and salaries of journalists at public television.

The unions of Radio France (SNJ - SJA-FO - SNJ-CGT - CFDT - CFTC - CGC) launched the strike after management refused to open negotiations on this matter.

“It’s shocking to see that journalists and media staff at Radio France are suffering discrimination and their legitimate claims are willfully ignored by management, the Ministry for Culture, responsible for Public Broadcasting, and by the authorities in general”, said EFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “It’s absolutely unacceptable for these journalists to be treated in a less equal manner than colleagues elsewhere.”

Since 1974, all French public service broadcasting companies are covered by the same collective agreement. The salaries of both radio and TV broadcasters are supposed to be the same. However, radio broadcasters’ salaries have not been increased for the last 7 years despite the ‘plan Servat’ agreed in 1994 between Radio France and the government, which was to review the salary disparities annually. No such review has taken place in the past 4 years and the authorities are now actively hostile to any common salary policy for radio and TV journalists.

This attitude provoked the strike, which is supported by around 90% of journalists from the main public radios such as France Info, France Bleu and France Inter.

“The strike at Radio France is yet another pitched battle for decent social conditions,” said White. “Our print colleagues in Germany and Greece are locked in bitter disputes with their employers and now broadcasters in France are caught up in a battle which is simply about fairness at work.” White said EFJ members around Europe would rally to the support of strikers at Radio France

Website: http://www.20six.fr/silenceradio
E-mail for messages of solidarity: [email protected]

For more information: + 32 2 235 22 02 – http://www.ifj-europe.org
The EFJ represents over 250.000 journalists in more than 30 countries