Journalists strike over lack of collective labor agreements
Greek journalists are holding a 24-hour strike on Tuesday to protest the employers’ refusal to sign collective labor agreements in privately owned media, low wages and a threat to plurality, their unions said.
The press strike will last from 5 a.m. on Tuesday (April 16) to 5 a.m. on Wednesday (April 17) and will affect news sites, TV channels, the state-run broadcaster ERT and radio.
In a joint statement, the Greek Federation of Journalists (POESY), the Journalists’ Union of Athens Newspapers (ESIEA) and other press unions said that the employers’ refusal to sin CLAs “has led employees to be paid meager wages, which are not sufficient to cover their basic family and personal needs.”
They also protested “the continued and ever-increasing pressure on journalism and journalists, and ultimately on reliable and free information, which is a cornerstone of democratic functioning.”
The media strike is taking place ahead of a major general walk-out called by the private sector workers’ union GSEE on Wednesday over rising living costs, the lack of CLAs and the protection of income from inflation. The April 17 strike will halt most public transport and ferry services.
