By: Domen Mezeg / Nova24tv
“The real problem is that the unions have taken over public RTV today, and that they are broadcasting their own programme and reporting on their own strike as the main event in the world, which is abuse,” said Peter Jančič, Siol’s editor-in-chief.
Part of the trade unions joined forces and supported the strike on RTV Slovenia. Support for the strikers was expressed in the KSJS (Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions) by Branimir Štrukelj, known for repeatedly running on the list of the unconstitutional Levica party and being the former son-in-law of former party leader Milan Kučan. Through Modra zavarovalnica, he is also connected with a well-known lobbyist in the economy, Borut Jamnik. And Štrukelj advocated autonomy and democracy… The public service strike was also supported by the Slovenian Police Union and the Slovenian Health and Social Welfare Union.
Peter Jančič, the editor-in-chief of the Siol portal, gave his view of the event: “The unions always support each other, this is not a surprise. It is a fact, however, that not all trade union movements, including the doctors’ union, have publicly supported the RTVS strike. It is good to hear that the school union is advocating for the autonomy of journalism… The question is, will the teachers now announce a strike against Robert Golob, who is proposing a change in the management structure of television to subordinate it and reduce the autonomy of journalists and the media?”
The SVIZ school union, also led by Štrukelj, is a well-known political organisation. Štrukelj is a politician who also enforces his ideas in this way. And it is funny that some union would be fighting for the autonomy of journalism. It is clearly a remnant of the socialist past. It is hard to imagine that a German metal industry union would protest for the autonomy of journalists. “Against whom, for what autonomy?” The real problem, however, is that the unions have taken over public RTV, and that they have been broadcasting their own programme and reporting on their own strike as the main event in the world, which is an abuse.
WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE SUPPORT THE STRIKE ON RTV SLO, ANNOUNCED BY THE COORDINATION OF JOURNALIST TRADE UNIONS. FOR AUTONOMY AND PROFESSIONALISM! #STAVKA #STAVKARTV #ZAJAVNORTV #SOLIDARNOST PIC.TWITTER.COM/IHFMIGJJCN
– KSJS – CONFEDERATION OF PUBLIC SECTOR TRADE UNIONS (@KSJS_SI) MAY 23, 2022
This is an abuse of the public media: it is not intended to promote trade union issues
The union does not have such powers, and the editors and journalists who allowed it acted very unprofessionally, not autonomously. At the same time, the unions are not expected to warn RTVS journalists about the abuse of position. Such a warning should come, for example, from those who are forced to pay for it, no matter what the employees there do. Namely, trade union, internal affairs were published as the main story of the public media, which is not intended to promote such topics.
There are often accusations that we have party media in the country. Some even believe that they should be banned. And now they have shown us what a union medium is, which is exactly that kind. “They do exactly what they blame others for. It is not the intention of a public institution to abuse its editorial role for its own propaganda.” The strike is not intended to start the production of Peugeot cars, Mercedes or even trucks, for example, at the Renault factory. People then simply do not work, but do not produce something other than the role of the factory, at the behest of union leaders.