[fullwidth background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20px” padding_bottom=”20px” padding_left=”20px” padding_right=”20px” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]By Daniela Celestino
Always in the forefront of fighting tough battles for his Apulian colleagues, even before he became president of the regional Assostampa, when he faced the most critical moment for local newsrooms-Telenorba, Telerama, Antenna Sud and many other local businesses; reductions and layoffs that were difficult to counter. An ongoing and relentless effort. Raffaele Lorusso, secretary of the National Press Federation, is again on the front lines. The national one. He has one certainty: “What is at stake is not only the survival of the industry, but the future of pluralism of information in this country. It is an issue of the effectiveness of democracy.”
Right now it is a matter of renegotiating the national labor contract and, needless to say, “the positions are irreconcilable,” Lorusso says. “[Since 2005] Fieg has been asking for the same thing over and over again,” he explains, “to cancel entire parts of the contract, to make permanent the increasingly widespread system of unprotectedness that the world of information is experiencing.” On the contrary, the journalists’ union calls for “rules, rights and protections for all, employees and self-employed, in a context profoundly changed by technological innovation, the Web, and online newsrooms.”
“In this sense,” the president continues, ” the path started to regulate broadcasting and the web is important. Extending a minimum of rules and certainties, but with precise and stringent limits defined in national and company bargaining, is necessary to give rights to colleagues forced to work underground and to avoid contractual dumping. There is an army of registered members ready to work for five or even two to three euros for an article. Perpetuating this situation means giving editors the opportunity to count on journalists willing to work virtually for free. It is clear that compensation will only continue to fall.”
The other game is played on the level of reforming the publishing law, which has been approved but needs to be implemented through implementing decrees. “The reform,” Lorusso explains, “responded to a precise request from Fnsi in that it provided that any form of public support for companies must go through not only the regularity of payments of contributions, but also through that of the regularity of salaries and compliance with collective bargaining agreements.” Very weak, on the other hand, ” the aspect concerning the absence of revision of the rules that should regulate, but do not, the processes of transformation and modification of the ownership structures of publishing groups, as seen in recent months. And then the absolute uselessness of the Integrated Communications System, the absence of rules prohibiting mergers and abuse of dominant position in the advertising collection sector….”
Finally, the issue of gender equality. “Much has been done and is being done, but the problem is not contractual,” Lorusso argues, “fortunately we have a contract that values equality.” “The problem, once again, is effective implementation in the life of newsrooms. The union is committed to raising awareness about gender issues and also reducing the existing numerical gaps in the top management of union bodies and newsrooms. Continuous positive actions need to be put in place.”
“We are engaged,” he concludes, “in a constant struggle against all forms of discrimination and threats often suffered by female colleagues in the practice of their profession. This is also a battle for an accomplished democracy.”[/fusion_text][/fullwidth]