EFJ to host workshop on collective bargaining for freelancers in Vichy, France
From 23 to 24 January 2025, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will be hosting a workshop entitled “Collective bargaining for freelancers” at the Centre Culturel de Vichy, France, as part of the Stand up for Journalism(SUJ) project in partnership with the French union SNJ-CGT. The workshop will address the different challenges related to collective bargaining regarding the special condition of freelancers, with insightful speakers from all around Europe.
This workshop is the second in a series of five thematic capacity-building workshops. The first workshop was organised in Istanbul in September 2024, where speakers and participants from Turkey and all around Europe discussed the evolutions and different technics of collective bargaining. The last three will focus on online harassement and better protection of journalists, well-being and burnout in journalism and organisation in the age of AI.
Agenda
09:00 – 09:15: Welcome and registration
09:00 – 09:30: Opening remarks
Pablo Aiquel, General Secretary of SNJ-CGT and EFJ Steering Committee member
Rebecca Bonello Ghio, EFJ Projects & Policy Officer, presents the programme of the day (including the declaration)
09:30 – 11:00: Panel 1 – Bringing everyone on board: Unions in a changing freelance landscape
This panel addresses the growing presence of freelance journalists in the media industry and the implications for unions.
Swann Dalbera, Journalist at L’Union
Antonis Reparas, Freelance Journalist and Board Member of Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace (ESIEMTH)
Allan Boye Thulstrup, Deputy Chairman of the Danish Union of Journalists and EFJ Steering Committee member
Moderator: Renske Heddema, Co-Chair of EFJ Freelance Expert Group (FREG)
11:30 – 13:00: Panel 2 – The legal instruments available and their effectiveness (or not) in social dialogue
This panel will critically evaluate the effectiveness of EU collective bargaining instruments, explore the challenges faced in enforcing them, and discuss their potential to improve the rights and conditions of freelance journalists.
Mogens Blicher Bjerregard, Chair of ECPMF Executive Board and copyright expert
Charles Dannaud, Deputy Editor-in-chief at Reporterre (online)
Isabelle Schömann, Deputy General Secretary of ETUC
Moderator: Thomas Dayan, Deputy General Secretary of the International Federation of Musicians
14:00 – 14:45: Q&A: Upcoming EU and national legislation to support freelancers’ labour and social rights
Lead: Marie Lagarrigue, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Senior expert in Directorate C: Working Conditions and Social Dialogue (online)
14:45 – 16:15: Breakout session 1 – Identifying union actions to campaign for better working conditions of freelance journalists
In this session, participants will explore effective union strategies to advocate for improved working conditions for freelance journalists.
Baptiste Cessieux, Freelance journalist and unionist at SNJ-CGT
Marcelo Ortega Picazo, Member of the CCOO Journalists’ Association and its Media Sector
Moderator: Jil Theunissen, Media lawyer at AJP
16:30 – 17:00: Reflections and introducing the Declaration of Improving Working Conditions of European Freelancers’ Rights
Moderators from the previous session share their key take-aways from the panels and the workshop leads offer some insights and recommendations.
Renske Heddema, FREG co-chair
Pablo Aiquel, General Secretary of SNJ-CGT and EFJ Steering Committee member
Rebecca Bonello Ghio, EFJ Projects & Policy Officer
08:45 – 09:00: Registrations and coffee
09:00 – 10:30: Breakout session 2 – AI for Journalists: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
This hands-on session will equip unions with tools and strategies to support their members in adapting to AI-driven journalism.
Lead: Laurens Vreekamp, Journalist and Trainer at NVJ Academy
10:30 – 11:30: Marketplace of ideas: Case studies on the situation for freelancers
- AI and freelance work: the business side of things
Chat with Michael Hirschler, Representative for freelancers and photojournalists at DJV - Safety of freelance journalists
Chat with Antonis Reparas, Freelance Journalist and Board Member of Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace (ESIEMTH)
- Best practices on uniting workers to fight (interpretation provided)
Chat with Laurent Indrusiak, Union Leader at CGT
11:30 – 12:30: Presentation of the Declaration of European Freelancers’ Rights
Conference participants will present the Declaration of European Freelancers’ Rights to MEP Leila Chaibi (The Left Group, France).
MEP Leila Chaibi, The Left Group (online)
Pablo Aiquel, General Secretary of SNJ-CGT and EFJ Steering Committee member
12:30 – 13:00: Discussions recap and concluding remarks
We will look back at what was discussed during this meeting and highlight any concrete follow-up steps that unions can take.
Rebecca Bonello Ghio, EFJ Projects & Policy Officer
