[ 2013-08-22 ]

Amend labour Act to cover freelancers
The Media and Printing Industry Workers Union
(MEDIANET) has called for the amendment of the
Labour Act (Act 651) to ensure that collective
bargaining is extended to freelancers in the
country.

A statement signed by the General Secretary of
MEDIANET on Wednesday said freelancing was a new
form of employment which should be given the
recognition it deserved.

It said the legislation must empower trade unions
to negotiate group agreements, which would include
model contracts for the performance of services by
freelancers in all genres, format and media.

It stated that the issue represented a challenge
to the existing regulatory framework for labour
based on the assumed prevalence of those stable
employment relationships.

The statement thus said the picture had changed
and there was growing evidence that freelancing
was becoming a prominent feature in the media
industry among journalists and in other fields.

It added that it was therefore important to
guarantee a regulatory framework, which would
grant all journalists, including freelancers, a
set of basic rights and protections.

The statement said freelance journalists presented
series of weaknesses in comparison to employed
journalists.

It said this usually made wage levels lower,
contractual rights not implemented, job security
limited and poor welfare protection.

It said journalists deserved a fair income that
would ensure decent livelihood, equal treatment
and opportunities, good working conditions, access
to meaningful and productive work and prospects
for personal development.

Source - BBC

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