European Federation of Journalists

European Federation of Journalists

Private media in the Balkans desperately need social dialogue

fes-belgrade
  •    Broadcasting
  •   05-02-2015
    • #efj

(05/01/2015) The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has  participating in the FES-SINOS Trade Union Seminar in Belgrade (Serbia). The seminar organised by SINOS (Journalists Union of Serbia, EFJ affiliate), with the financial support of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), has focused on the lack of social dialogue and the role of trade union organisations in the private media.

The seminar with around 50 participants attracted extensive media coverage. The speakers included Dragana Cabarkapa (SINOS, Serbia), Renate Schroeder (EFJ Director), Tamara Causidis (SSNM, Macedonia), Dejan Gligorijevic (SINOS, Serbia), Marijana Camović (TUMM, Montenegro), Anton Filic (TUCJ, Croatia), several media experts, Mr Dusan Petrovic, Senior Advisor in Ministry for Labour and Sasa Mirkovic, Secretray for Media in Ministry for Culture. Both official representatives acknowledged the importance of trade unions, Social Dialogue and the need for collective agreements.

The second part of the conference dealt with how to improve the privatisation of media process in Serbia and what role journalists’ union should play in this process.

Average salary of journalist in Serbia is 220 EUR.

“The situation is getting worse though more regulated” A university professor of journalism talked about “regulated chaos” after 10 years of work on the Serbian Media Strategy. The meeting also discussed the need to get more unified among journalists’ organsiations.