EFJ: It is irresponsible to force journalists to come to the newsroom

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has welcomed the measures being taken to ensure the safety of journalists during the COVID-19 pandemic, but at the same time condemned the stance of some employers who are forcing their journalists to work from the newsroom.

"In the current situation, the health and safety of journalists are our top priority. We call on all media employers to apply prevention principles by implementing all appropriate measures to protect the health of journalists in the workplace," stated the EFJ.

However, some employers refuse to allow journalists to work remotely, i.e., using internet resources.

The EFJ strongly condemns this, as they called it, "irresponsible stance".

"It is unacceptable for some employers to refuse to allow journalists to work online. Today's telematics tools allow for the perfect execution of journalistic tasks remotely," said EFJ Secretary General Ricardo Gutiérrez.

"Forcing journalists to gather daily in the newsroom increases the risk of infection for the entire population. This is completely irresponsible!" he added.

The European Federation of Journalists joins the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in calling on the European Commission and EU member states to take urgent measures to provide financial support to employees who are in quarantine, suspended from work, or declared redundant due to COVID-19.

Special attention must be paid to non-standard workers (including freelance journalists), who often do not have the same rights and protection as other workers.

The EFJ also called on non-EU countries to implement similar measures.