30. 12. 2011

TV AVALA STAFF DETERMINED IN THEIR STRIKE

Belgrade, December 30, 2011 (Politika) - Representatives of two journalists' associations, UNS and NUNS, together Serbian Journalists Union, have supported their colleagues in TV Avala in their strike and raised the issue of ownership structure of this media.

Representatives of TV Avala Strike Committee held a meeting with four members of the managing board and owners of this station with national frequency, where they were informed that they could be paid one out of four and a half back salaries by December 31. The second wage would be paid in January, while the regular payment of salaries could continue as of april next year.

"They told us they did not have ‘fresh' money, but that light at the end of the tunnel is visible", said Ivana Viskovic and Nikola Vukomanovic, journalists at this TV station, after meeting with Danko Djunic, Zeljko Mitrovic, Bojana Lekic and Dusan Pancic, members of TV Avala MB. Representative of Greenberg Invest, Kraus Werner, did not attend the meeting. According to Mitrovic, this owner "has given up on this lost investment".

The Strike Committee was told at the meeting that they "could always opt for the possibility to resign and claim their unpaid salaries in legal proceeding.

President of Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia, Vukasin Obradovic, said that according to available information, Danko Djunic owns slightly over 45 percent of TV Avala shares, Institute of Economy 0.99 percent, Zeljko Mitrovic 4.95 percent and Greenberg Invest, namely Kraus Werner - 48.41 percent of shares. Ljiljana Smajlovic, UNS president, said that competent authorities should have protected all employees of this media, but unfortunately, this strike had shown that there is still little or no media freedom in Serbia, while the judiciary was still far from being free.

Dragana Cabarkapa, president of the Serbian Journalists Union, pointed out that one of the main problems was the lack of proper legislation that obliged to publicity of ownership structure in media, but that the Union would provide all needed support to the colleagues in strike.

TV Avala will go back to regular broadcasting of program on January 10, if all their requests are met by that date.