UJF Council discusses journalists’ safety, coping at work and the need for state media support

Crimes committed against journalists because of their work are a threat to democracy and the public’s right to know. That is why they should be called 'democracy crimes’, UJF President Marjaana Varmavuori said in her review of current issues facing the journalists and media workers at the spring meeting of the UJF Council, held in Helsinki, 22-23 May.

She noted that in Sweden democracy crimes have increasingly become grounds for prosecution.

In other countries, efforts are being made to ensure that journalists can work safely and free from harassment.

In the Netherlands, the media industry, the police and the public prosecutor's office have agreed on a joint approach to deal with crimes against journalists more quickly than usual.

In Denmark, the police have internal guidelines to protect the freedom and rights of journalists. Security training is organised for journalists and students to prepare them for potentially threatening situations.

Varmavuori said the UJF should try to negotiate similar training, for example in collective agreements.

“The safety of journalists is such an important issue that I think we need to do more about it.”

Media support and coping at work

In addition to the on-the-job safety of individual journalists, Varmavuori stressed the importance of safeguarding media operations, which she described as a matter of security of supply.

“If media operations are not secured or their reliability deteriorates, official communication in times of emergency and crisis is also at risk.”

The UJF president said the best way to secure media operations would be through the provision of permanent government media support, which she hoped would be included in negotiations for the next government.

“The Union will, of course, do its best to ensure a system of media support - especially in a form where it is specifically targeted at the work of journalists.”

Other aspects of support for journalists discussed by the UJF Council included coping with the pressures of the workplace.

Council members hoped that the union would explore different ways to support journalists' wellbeing at work and how to support those who are struggling to cope.

While the Council did not endorse an initiative by the Finnish Freelance Journalists (SFJ) to set up a peer support service, it decided to take better account of coping at work, including by influencing collective agreements and providing advice and training on employment contracts.

Finances

The UJF Council also discussed the Union of Journalists' annual report and accounts for last year. The Union made a profit of €296,000 last year, thanks to better-than-expected returns on investments.

The Union collected €5.5 million in membership fees, of which €1.1 million was paid to member associations and branches and €676,000 to the unemployment fund. The union's actual operating costs were around €4.7 million. Without investment income, the union would have made a loss.

The Council decided to change the Union’s investment approach to give the Union more freedom to manage its assets by choosing different investment targets. In future, the UJF will be able to change its investment objectives more flexibly between shares, unit trusts, bonds and deposits.

Awards and recognition

The Council also presented awards to members for their outstanding work for the union.

Workplace Colleague Awards

• Marianne Zitting – Nine years as Iltalehti editorial branch treasurer, for enabling union branch activities through her financial expertise.

• Jaakko Kankaanpää and Riina Vuokko – Driving forces of the translators’ branch of the union for 10 years, building the workplace community and advocating for literary translators’ interests.

• Wilma Kärsämä - A new shop steward who successfully resolved a long-standing casual worker chain employment case despite lacking formal training.

Union Service Award

• Hannamari Hoikkala and Sami Takkinen – Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) support network activities and black day solidarity protest amidst mass redundancies that gained national media attention.

Honorary Mention

• Nordic freelance seminar 2024 – Successfully brought together 100 freelancers from three countries to discuss collective bargaining rights and professional challenges.