CONFERENCE DECLARATION

1. CONFERENCE DECLARATION We, the leaders of media Trade Unions from Eastern and Southern Africa, - with the support of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the LOTCO - meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa on Dec 12-13 2012 on the theme: Effects of Globalisation on the Media Industries in Eastern and Southern Africa

2. Considering the social consequences of globalization on the media industries in the tworegions; • Considering the attempt at com modification and commercializationof news in the restructuring of the media in the tworegions; • Drawing the attention of media managers and owners to the threats of globalization to the role of the media in democracy and society;

3. Considering the attempts by the multi-nationals to ownand control the media conglomerates in the tworegions; • Considering the threat to the freedom of association and the right to organize in the media industry in the tworegions; • Considering the threats to job security in the media industry that have resulted in an increasing cadre of journalists working with lowwages, no social security, poorworking conditions and withoutconsideration to safety of journalists;

4. Considering the juniorisation of the newsrooms with the intention to exploit the young journalists and by sidelining experienced media practitioners; • Considering the stereotyped portrayal of women that comes with globalization and commercialisation of news;

5. Call on the national unions and media workers to: • Launch campaigns to raise awareness on the effects of globalization, especially on job security and working conditions; • Launch campaigns on key labour standards including on the ILO conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining (87 and 98) and the types of media ownerships;

6. Intensify recruitment drive of journalists and other media workers, especially targeting the youth, female and freelance journalists; • Build the capacities of the union leaders in trade union management, social dialogue and collective bargaining ; • Building alliances and solidarity with sister unions at national, regional and international levels;

7. Building the capacity of union leaders and members in resource mobilization; • Setting up and operating functional secretariats that are able to implement programs addressing the challenges affecting membership expressed through congresses and democratic bodies of the unions;

8. Building and consolidating continuous data and documentation of the union activities for continuity and institutional memory ; • Ensuring legal representation of membership and in the work place; • Creating social programs within the union to address the welfare of membership especially the vulnerable members ;

9. Improve and develop communication both internally and externally in order to profile the union and build solidarity with the trade union movement; • Develop and mainstream gender policies and programs addressing effects of globalization; • Engaging governments to enact Collective Frameworks;

10. Lobby employers to undertake proper staffing of their newsrooms and remuneration to stop exploiting journalists on the basis of increasing convergence of media platforms; • CALL ON : • The unions of journalists and other media workers to: • Campaign for the harmonization of progressive labour laws in the two regions to promote labour standards and movement of media workers;

11. CALL ON: • the Africa Media Initiative (AMI)s and the Africa Media Leaders Forum (AMLF) to: • give attention to the effect of globalization in the two regions and promote social dialogue in the industry by accepting freedom of association , the right to unionize in the work place and the right to Collective Bargaining;

12. CALL ON: • Regional and international financial institutions to make social dialogue, Collective Bargaining and unions’ rights as prerequisite conditions for investment in the media industry development.