European Federation of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ)

Organising Journalists- The Recruitment Challenge for European Unions

Budapest, 4-6 April 2008

With the Support of the European Commission

Survey onRecruitment and Organising in Journalism

Coverage: 23 countries

25 responses

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.

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).

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.

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.

Serbia (only union with no members in private media).

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: leaving the unions (only in France?

probably not).

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.

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)

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).

Training for Staff and Shop Stewards

o Some (9) do not do any training (lack of resources or no need);o 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).

“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).

Recruitment and Organising

Thank you for the answers given, your attention and hopefully enjoy the seminar and learn from others’ experiences!!!