Staff Elections
2007 Electoral Platform
Defending AFP Staff, Defending AFP
The following is a the SNJ’s electoral platform for the 2007 elections, which take place from March 19 to April 16.
Staff representative elections, as laid down by French labour law, are an important institution for the defence of our rights. If there is one time when everyone should feel involved it is now, when we are called upon to choose the reps who will defend our interests with management for the coming two years.
To meet the challenges ahead, while also carrying on with the work that our union representatives put in on a daily basis, we call on all headquarters status journalists to vote for the SNJ’s lists, and to encourage others to do so.
Who We Are
The SNJ is by far the biggest journalists’ trade union on the national level in France, with some 2,500 paid-up members. In the last national elections to the press card commission, considered a key test of influence, it won over 46% of the vote, far ahead of any other organisation.
Our union’s activities are by no means restricted to France, or even to the sole world of journalists. We are members of the International Federation of Journalists, and we coordinate with other wage-earners within the "Solidaires" inter-union federation, of which we were founder members.
The AFP branch has around sixty members with a broad base of support drawn from a wide variety of agency services working throughout the world in various languages. In addition to experienced activists our membership includes a lot of younger journalists - the men and women who are AFP’s future. Our diversity is reflected in the make-up of our candidate lists
Our Record
In the last staff elections two years ago, the SNJ boosted its vote to become one of the two top journalists’ unions at AFP. This time we intend to do even better.
Over the past two years, SNJ-AFP delegates and activists have been active on every front and taken part in all key meetings with management. We have consistently defended staff rights while working to make new gains.
Less visible but just as important in our eyes is the everyday work we put in to defend AFP staff around the world, whatever their employment or contractual status. We have also worked, as always, to ensure that AFP remains a single news company with an international mission and a worldwide workforce.
Among Our Aims for 2007-2009
- Higher salaries and a better career plan
- Better working conditions in terms of both quality and quantity
- Equity and justice in appointments, postings and promotions
- Clear rules and agreements to cover the growing number of job specifications
- A fair and just regional status for non-HQ journalists; better protection for all local-status staff
- Recognition of and payment for the authorial rights of all journalists
- Development of emerging fields of AFP activity in video, photo and the Internet.
On all these issues, you can count on the SNJ to make practical proposals.
Spread the Word: Vote SNJ!
SNJ-AFP, February 12, 2007