European Federation of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ)

1. European Federation of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ) Recruiting and Organising: Union Challenges in Times of Media Crisis Belgrade, 17-18 April 2009 With the Support of the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation

2. 2008 Survey onRecruitment and Organising in Journalism Coverage: 23 countries 25 responses Finland Norway Sweden Denmark Lithuania UK & Ireland Netherlands Belgium Gemany Slovaquia France Austria Switzerland Hungary Croatia Serbia Italy Portugal Turkey Greece Slovenia Cyprus

3. Who responded? • Over 172 000 members are covered by this questionnaire (majority in Germany:60.000 and in Great Britain and Ireland: 37.000). • 19 trade unions; one association and 5 say they are both union and professional association.

4. Membership Development: Figures • 11 unions declare membership losses within last year(s) (both German unions >1000; Austria>500; Sweden>350; UK losses within last year, but 8% increases in period of 2001-2006)-many more losses expected due to medai crisis and related job losses. • 11 unions declare membership increases: Belgium; Cyprus; Norway (journalists in digital media); Denmark (700 new members within last 2 years from communication sector), Spain (Ela), Lithuania (120 last year); Portugal (few freelances from audiovisual sector); Turkey.

5. Membership Development: Categories • Generally speaking new members are young and often freelances (confirmed from survey done in 2006) • In some unions, student members have been growing as well. (Majority accepts students with special status and special fee; in Denmark they have the same status.) Exceptions are in Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, France (CGT), and Lithuania. • Gender ratio: In almost all unions more men than women with more women entering unions recently. • In UK, in Serbia and in Turkey staff journalists numbers rose more than freelances’ numbers (later ones due to difficult legal restraints regarding organising of freelances). • Serbia (only union with no members in private media).

6. Reasons for Leaving the Union • Some have not made any research. • Those who have, say: • (UK: “biggest reason is death”) • Changing job, that is leaving journalism • Too expensive; • Retirement; • Esp. in CEE, staff journalists are forced into freelancing, very low salaries; • (Austria: impact of merger of union and problems with data transfer); • Changing culture among young (strangely only mentioned by Swiss colleagues); • Problems with collective bargaining; • Turkey, Slovakia and Slovenia: pressure from employers. • In France it is a general trend: leavingthe unions (only in France? probably not).

7. Sectors with difficulties recruiting new members • Main problems, which almost all unions clicked: Online+Web sector. • Broadcasting second most difficult sector. • Freelances third most difficult sector. • Only three unions (dju in verdi, impressum in Switzerland and CFDT in France) face problems in newspaper sector. And in Lithuania in magazines.

8. New Target Groups • Many unions have not defined any target groups for recruitment and organising. Some are in the process (Slovakia: meeting in April on this issue). • Those who did: • Internet journalism (Hungary, Austria), new media, multimedia journalists; • Young journalists, also those who do not consider themselves as journalists; • Students; • Freelances as special target with special needs and services; • Online web, production companies (Norway); • New staff in media companies (including foreign owned and private broadcasting (Croatia) • Bigger media houses without union presentation (Slovenia); • Regional media (Lithuania, Slovenia); • Trade Press (Norway); • Local media (Portugal)

9. Recruitment Tools • (Switzerland and to an extent Sweden: underdeveloped recruitment culture up to now, as active recruitment was not needed, but now change in policy); some unions have not considered this subject at all (Greece, Italy..) • Personal contacts (most unions), work place visits of trade union officers, “strong work place representation is key” say the Finnish; • Legal Assistance; • Telephone contacts; • Members magazines, websites, website with growing interactive media (NVJ); • Advertisements (DK and NL) brochure with arguments for membership (Portugal inspired by NUJ!), Croatia (some get organised after reading the leaflet); • Travel reduction (Portugal, Belgium…) and other services including freelance insurances; • Special university project and contacts with the youth press (dju in ver.di), and NVJ academy (NL) • Seminars +language course (Slovakia).

10. Training for Staff and Shop Stewards • Some (9) do not do any training (lack of resources or no need); • 14 respond with yes or intend to do so in the future such as: • Workshops on how to recruit new members (Austria); • Database of members will be optimized (NVJ) • Training for staff and lay officers, NUJ: http://www.nujtraining.org.uk • Training and Youth Project, training for broadcasting branch (dju, Germany); • Summer regional workshops in Lithuania; • Working group dealing with recruitment (plan for future work, Norway); • 8 days a year for each new shop steward (Denmark), • Training for shop stewards and staff training planned for later this year (Sweden); • Planned for next year (Turkey); • Training seminar in May (Serbia).

11. “Shopping List” for EFJ: How can the EFJ/IFJ help? • Especially from members in CEE: Exchange, contacts, learning from experience, seminars for new shop stewards and future trade union officials, seminars on the need to join a union for freelances (Croatia); • Easy access to info from/about EFJ; • Experience about media development in Europe (Spain); • Mutual assistance scheme in Europe would especially help freelances to get invoices paid abroad (NUJ); • A more attractive IFJ International Press Card (dju in ver.di); • More possibilities for International exchange also among ‘normal’ members, more professional training offers at European level; (dju in verdi); • Analysis of new trends and habits around journalism (NVJ); • Activities that strengthen and defend journalism as a profession (helping unions to be perceived as active defendants of the need and interests of journalists; • EFJ broshures in local languages; • Create a better network among EFJ members, esp. the young • EFJ protests against government (Serbia).

12. Recruitment and Organising Thank you for your attention and please send additional info to efj.@efj.org. Enjoy the seminar and learn from others’ experiences!!!