Vienna, 26/10/2017
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) expressed full support for their Greek colleagues who have just completed another 48 hour strike, as well as a 12 day hunger strike by two journalists.
On the 24th and 25th of October, The Athens Journalists’ Union (ESIEA) called for a strike of all Greek media in the center of Athens, in order to demonstrate the deep resentment for the four-month long turmoil media owners have put journalists in.
Since September 2016, the Greek government abolished a law where the Greek Journalists’ Healthcare and Social Security Organisation was funded based by the working and retired journalists’ and other media employees’ own monthly contributions, allowing Greek media owners to avoid contributing entirely to their employees’ healthcare and social security. Now, both working and retired journalists find themselves ineligible of their pensions and health care. This has affected approximately 18,000 individuals as well as their families.
SEEMO is a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South, East and Central Europe and its press freedom work is supported by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) project, as part of a grant by the European Commission.