Trade unions in the media sector have called a four-hour strike on Wednesday, April 6, between 12:00 and 16:00, joining in strike action by employees in other sectors. During the strike, journalists will only be permitted to cover the strikes and rallies.
The Athens journalist union ESHEA and other sector unions issued the following announcement:
"Workers in the mass media, together with all the workers of the country, are participating en masse and dynamically in the strike action of April 6 and for this reason we call on colleagues working in newspapers, television and radio stations, internet media, press offices and public mass media to participate in the four-hour work stoppage proclaimed by the Unions for Wednesday, April 6, 2022 from 12 noon until four in the afternoon. During the work stoppage, the colleagues covering strike gatherings are permitted to work."
The demands of the strike include wage increases through collective agreements, last signed in the sector in 2008, an agreement on the collective agreement currently being negotiated for the public mass media and a lifting of memorandum restrictions on salaries. The unions warned that strike action will escalate if their demands are not met, emphasising that the latest wave of high prices is yet another blow to journalists' incomes.
The unions also demand that the government take measures to support the print media, and that employers provide a decent living wage and employee rights.