News-from-the-media

22. 09. 2023.

Author: UNS

UNS research on labor rights

Almost every second respondent does not have a permanent working contract, while every fifth respondent has a part-time job. UNS research showed that journalists and media workers who work in online media are leading among those who don't have permanent employment contracts, and who provide better labor and legal protection.

Also, almost 80% of respondents are not members of any trade union and 70% of respondents say they are aware of their rights.

A half of journalists and media workers who participated in the research don't know whether the right to organize a trade union is respected in the media where they work. Slightly more than 60% of respondents stated that during their career they were in a situation where their labor rights were threatened, but even half of them didn't inform any institution about that.

Those who work without a contract, as well as part-time journalists and media workers, have the least access to legal protection in case of unfair dismissal or violation of labor rights. Slightly more than 60% of the respondents said that they do not have or do not know if they have access to legal support in those cases. Thus, every fourth respondent states that they do not have access to legal protection in case of unfair dismissal or violation of labor rights.

Respondents state that their labor rights are most threatened by the absence of compensation for overtime work, non-respect of working hours, dismissals and political pressures.

Slightly less than half of the respondents, 45.3% of them, believe that there is no difference and that labor rights are equally threatened for women and men in the media in Serbia. Also, approximately 40% of respondents believe that the labor rights of women are more threatened than the labor rights of men.

As the biggest obstacles to fight for the labor rights of journalists and media workers in Serbia, respondents cited the absence of political will, poor work of state institutions and poor work of management structures in the media.

Almost 3 out of 4 respondents believe that journalists and media workers in Serbia do not enjoy adequate protection from threats, violence or harassment. 39.2% of respondents stated that they generally do not enjoy adequate protection, while 34.2% of them said that they do not enjoy it at all.

Every other respondent believes that the working rights of journalists and media workers have worsened in the last few years. 32% said that the situation had not changed.

Only one percent of respondents believe that the rights of journalists and media workers have improved in the last few years

More than 85% of respondents believe that employees in the media need a strong journalists' union. Half declared that they would be members of such a union. However, close to 30% of respondents said that an influential media union is needed, but that they are not sure if they would become members.

Respondents expect the journalists' union to work on increasing the salaries of employees in the media, to improve the legal regulations related to the rights of journalists and media workers, to secure a collective agreement and to influence the ethical behavior of employers.

The majority of respondents are not satisfied with their income from working in the media. 3.8% are very satisfied.

Every second respondent has experienced burnout at work in the last two/three years and every other respondent points out that the work of a journalist has a negative effect on her/his mental health.