Serbian and Macedonian journalist unions in joint protest

On 1st June, the employees of Avala TV and the Macedonian Pink 15 TV were protesting in front of the Pink Television building in Belgrade due to unpaid wages. They left the owner of Pink TV, Željko Mitrovi?, a birthday present - an empty box, and requested that he immediately settle his debts to his employees and pay them adequately.

Aleksandar Šubarevi? from TV Avala said that the employees of the media house had not been paid their last four wages. The employees of TV Avala had already been on strike for two months of this year, and had been promised to be paid in due time. The meeting in which this agreement was sealed was also attended by representatives of the RRA, the Serbian broadcasting Regulatory Authority. 

"It is unbelievable that Avala is permitted to broadcast though they do not respect this agreement and continue to not pay their employees.", said Šubarevi?.


Dragana ?abarkapa, the President of the Journalist Union of Serbia, which endorsed the protest, requested that the authorities ask the owners of the television to immediately pay their employees and part-time associates what they owe them in accordance with the law.

The Union of Serbian Journalists gave full support to the colleagues from Macedonia. A part-time associate of the Macedonian Pink 15 TV, Snežana Anti?, said that they were not paid for eight months.

 

The EFJ supports the efforts of its two affiliates in the region and believes such cross-border cooperation is vital when employers are violating essential rights, such as the right to be paid and remunerated.

 

This will be discussed at the upcoming Annual Meeting of the EFJ in Bergamo (Italy) on 15-17 June 2012.