Italian journalists went on a major strike on Friday, with leading national media websites stopping publication and website updates, demanding the renegotiation of their collective labor agreement and improvements to address excessively low pay and exploitative working conditions. The Italian National Press Federation (FNSI) emphasized, "This strike is not to defend privileges, but to defend a basic principle: our work has value."
Unlike the usual constant news push notifications, on the 27th, Italian media subscribers' phones remained quiet. When opening mainstream media like Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA), Corriere della Sera, and Il Messaggero, the homepages still displayed news from the 26th, with no latest news available.
"Il Fatto Quotidiano" posted an "open letter to readers" on its website, stating that if readers could not find the paper at newsstands on the 28th and the website was not updated on the 27th, it was because journalists were holding a protest. "Il Messaggero" also marked on its homepage that in response to the journalist federation's strike, there would be no updates until midnight on the 27th.
The Italian National Press Federation (FNSI) released a statement explaining that the nationwide strike was to demand a renegotiation of the collective labor agreement, which has been expired for 10 years. Italian journalists have planned a total of five nationwide strikes, with this being the second. The next strike is scheduled for April 16.
The press federation stated that it is an obligation to guarantee decent working conditions for media professionals, newcomers to the industry, and those about to retire. This is crucial to the future of public opinion, as the Italian Constitution stipulates that freedom of information is a public interest that should be protected.
The federation highlighted that the journalists' previous collective labor agreement expired on April 1, 2016, and since then everything has changed: journalists' workload and working pace have increased, cross-platform work is now required, and editorial departments are almost non-existent. However, journalists' salaries have remained stagnant, and due to inflation and an unreasonable pay freeze, this has in effect led to a real decrease in pay.
"Il Fatto Quotidiano" posted an "open letter to readers" on its website, stating that if readers could not find the paper at newsstands on the 28th and the website was not updated on the 27th, it was because journalists were holding a protest. "Il Messaggero" also marked on its homepage that in response to the journalist federation's strike, there would be no updates until midnight on the 27th.
The Italian National Press Federation (FNSI) released a statement explaining that the nationwide strike was to demand a renegotiation of the collective labor agreement, which has been expired for 10 years. Italian journalists have planned a total of five nationwide strikes, with this being the second. The next strike is scheduled for April 16.
The press federation stated that it is an obligation to guarantee decent working conditions for media professionals, newcomers to the industry, and those about to retire. This is crucial to the future of public opinion, as the Italian Constitution stipulates that freedom of information is a public interest that should be protected.
The federation highlighted that the journalists' previous collective labor agreement expired on April 1, 2016, and since then everything has changed: journalists' workload and working pace have increased, cross-platform work is now required, and editorial departments are almost non-existent. However, journalists' salaries have remained stagnant, and due to inflation and an unreasonable pay freeze, this has in effect led to a real decrease in pay.