ZAGREB, May 3, 2020 – Ahead of the International Press Freedom Day, observed on May 3, the Croatian Journalists’ Union (SNH) has called on its members to join the traditional campaign “Five Minutes of Roaring Silence” to draw attention to the importance of journalists and the media and to their worsening position.
In a statement on Saturday, the SNH highlighted the importance of workers’ rights as prerequisites for freedom of the press. It said that the Labour Act was not respected in Croatia, that media workers were working without collective agreements and that employers were taking advantage of the lack of organisation to impose inappropriate working conditions and inadequate pay.
“We have brought the attention of the employers and the crisis management authorities to non-compliance with the Safety at Work Act because the employers did not provide the necessary protective equipment for our colleagues who report from the field risking their health, but we have also shown solidarity through the SNH by purchasing and distributing protective gear,” the SNH said.
It said that media workers in several organisations had had their pay cut, in some cases without social dialogue. It cited a survey conducted by the Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) showing that nearly a third of freelance journalists had lost their jobs and only 15 percent of them had managed to keep their jobs.
More news about journalism in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.
