Section Agence France-Presse du Syndicat national des journalistes

SNJ-AFP

Agence France-Presse Branch of the French National Journalists' Union (SNJ)

The Union

About the SNJ

The French National Union of Journalists (Syndicat national des journalistes, SNJ) was set up in 1918. It can lay claim to having achieved most of the major advances won by the profession in France, and notably to:

The drawing-up of Journalism Charters to provide guidance on ethics and good practices;
The basic French National Journalists’ Bargaining Agreement, which lays down salary rates and other basic rights for journalists working in French media organizations;
The creation of the French press card, which under a law dating from 1953 certifies that its holder is a bona fide journalist and ensures his or her access to sources of information;
The main French social safety-nets for journalists, notably our retirement and health insurance arrangements.

The SNJ won 46,53% of the national vote among journalists for the press card commission in the latest poll, in June 2006. That means it remains by far the most representative journalists’ union in the country.

The SNJ’s Main Demands

Create more jobs by reducing working hours
Fight against increasing job insecurity
Ensure respect for the rights of freelancers
Increase journalists’ purchasing power
Defend journalists’ right to royalties
Make the French journalists’ charter part of the national collective bargaining agreement (Convention collective)
Combat the negative effects of concentration in the media industry
Strengthen the public service ethos of French broadcasting
Ensure respect for journalists’ qualifications, and for the ethics of the profession
Promote growth in training and further education opportunities for journalists
Defend France’s social rights and the social safety-net.

A Militant, Pro-Diversity Union

The SNJ plays a part in numerous broader structures, both French (Union syndicale Solidaires) and international (International Federation of Journalists).

It is also active in the representative bodies of the profession as a whole in France, such as the Press Card Committee ("Commission de la carte"), approved journalism schools, employment committees, pension funds, the media training fund (Médiafor), and a variety of arbitration bodies.

The union also makes available to its members a legal assistance committee and specialist bodies dealing with issues such as trade union activities, jobs, freelance affairs, wages and training.

The SNJ as an Independent Trade Union

As it is not part of a trade union confederation the SNJ relies only on its members for funding.