Greek journalists hold strike against social security overhaul

Greek journalists joined on 28 January a 24-hour strike protesting recent government plans to overhaul the social security system initiated by workers in private and public sector as well as farmers, which is going on since 8th January 2016. Members of the International and the European Federation of Journalists in Greece (PFJU, JUADN, ESIEMTH and ESPIT) held a protest rally and marched to the Greek Parliament calling on the government to engage in dialogue with the workers’ organisations before overhauling the entire system. They also urged for the autonomy of the sector’s social insurance funds and guaranties of their financial resources as well as all press workers’ rights that the government is trying to abolish. The new plan will affect many workers in different sectors. For journalists and media workers, their social security fund with be merged with workers in other sectors. Protection for workers facing redundancy will also be reformed. “The plan will destroy our Funds’ social insurance tissue for it aims to tear apart all guarantees safeguarding journalists’ professional identity, journalists’ unions, collective work agreements application and practice of Code of professional journalists’ ethics by workers,” said JUADN in a statement. “Such a plan will have painful consequences to news information, will be felt hard by workers and ruin social cohesion.” The journalists warned that the overhaul will lead to affect the wages and pensions of journalists and will affect the employment situation in the long term, which both Federations oppose in solidarity with Greek colleagues.

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