As part of MEDIA Project, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined its affiliate, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), in Freetown, where they met with ministers and union workers during a high level mission to the country.
The IFJ welcomed “significant commitments” made by ministers and government officials in Sierra Leone to address concerns over media reform and journalists’ welfare.
In a series of meetings with the Attorney General, Minister of Labour, officials at the Ministry of Information and the Independent Media Commission, representatives of the IFJ, Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) and the Sierra Leone Reporters Union (SLRU) secured commitments to:
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- Back demands by SLAJ for a stand-alone chapter in the new constitution enshrining the right to media freedom and freedom of expression
- Organise a national dialogue with media employers to tackle abuses of the national minimum wage, the failure to pay social security (NASSIT) payments and the lack of pension provision and other social benefits
- Support enforcement against law-breaking media companies over the payment of the national minimum wage and social security payments
- Work with SLAJ, the SLRU and the country’s main trade union federation, the Sierra Leone Labour Congress (SLLC) to establish mechanisms to ensure media employers must meet decent work criteria.
The IFJ warned that while the commitments were welcome, action and implementation were key to lifting journalists out of poverty and improving media freedom. The IFJ will organise follow-up meetings in October to assess progress and hold officials and media organisations accountable.
The IFJ’s campaign to tackle low wages and labour rights abuses also won the backing of the powerful SLLC who confirmed that the country’s labour laws already provided for the payment of fair wages, social security payments and other benefits for journalists, including end of service payments, but that there was a failure of enforcement.
SLLC leaders pledged to support steps to develop collective bargaining and tackle poverty wages and the non-payment by employers of social security contributions. The SLLC will also help provide training for SLAJ and SLRU representatives.
The delegation visited Sierra Leone from 18-21 June as part of the BBC Media Action-led MEDIA project in which the IFJ is working with SLAJ to build the organisation’s capacity and engage government and media stakeholders on key issues facing journalists in the country. The IFJ has already held a series of consultations with journalists in the country, worked with SLAJ leaders to carry out a capacity audit, develop a strategic action plan and organise a workshop in Freetown covering media freedom, union building and journalists’ welfare issues.
SLAJ President Alhaji Manika Kamara said: “We welcome the strong support of the IFJ in working with us to alleviate poverty and support our campaign for a stand-alone chapter to enshrine media freedom in the constitution. We will continue to work together to deliver for journalists”.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger who led the delegation said: “We welcome commitments from across government to work with the IFJ, SLAJ and the SLRU to ensure employers can no longer get away with breaking the law, not paying their NASSIT payments and failing to provide contracts, pay the minimum wage and abuse the labour rights of working journalists. This is a huge opportunity for the government to show it stands firmly for greater media freedom and the rule of law and we look forward to working with them to ensure there is real action in the coming months”.
