UNION
OF ALBANIAN JOURNALISTS (UAJ)
What
is UAJ?
Union of Albanian Journalists (UAJ) is a no-political, non-religious
and non-profitable Association and exercises its activity with no time limit,
in compliance with the Albanian legislation UAJ was established with the decision of
the Tirana District Court, on 25/10/2005. Being an umbrella Association,
UAJ
have its branches in 11 Albania as well outside the country.
Object
of UAJ
The fundamental mission of UAJ is to
protect the rights of journalists, including the journalists of written and
electronic media.
For the achievement of its goal the Association has these objectives:
- The
constant monitoring of job market in the sector of media;
- The
monitoring of social-economical conditions and implementation of rights
specified in collective or individual contracts between employer and employees.
- Constant
negotiations with third parties for the completion of respective duties between
respective parties;
- Representation
in institutional level for the protection of the rights of journalists;
- Representation
and solution of respective issues in administrative or/and judicial ways, in
favor of its members;
- The
approval and application of the Ethics Code and Professional Responsibility;
- Activities in national and regional level which raise the awareness of journalist’s community.
Participation
and Decision-Making Bodies
The request for membership in based upon
individual aplications. The request may be submitted in writing form at any
time to the Steering Board. The association is opened to accept new members at
any time according to the conditions of the procedure regulated by the norms of
statute. All UAJ members have the right of equal vote in the General Meeting
The
steering bodies
of the association are:
- Steering Board
- Commission of
Financial Control
- Chairman
- Chairmen of District
Branches
UAJ Activity
- Supported by IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board), Union was confirmed as the only active organization of journalists and the biggest operating the country;
- During February-March 2006, Petko Georgiev, the Director of Bulgarian Training Center was invited in Tirana, to assist the UAJ to formulate the basic documents on which are reflected Albanian journalists rights. At the end of this training, a draft of collective contract for journalists was proposed and assisted by legal experts, and by representatives of government’s labor offices and State Labor Inspectorate;
- In September 2006, UAJ launched the negotiations with the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities for the achievement of a cooperation agreement
- On 29 December 2006 Union of Albanian Journalists and the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities signed the agreement "For information and assistance in the implementation of labor legislation”.
- During the following months UAJ took part in several national meetings and round tables for the problems of freedom of media and social situation of journalists;
- In collaboration with the Albanian Center of Media Monitoring and with the support of the foundation "Friedrich Ebert", UAJ prepared the Report on the status and social conditions of journalists, which was published in the "Albanian Center of Media Monitoring";
- UAJ is the only organization that has institutionally reacted on 8 cases of breaking the Labor Code from media owners;
- Press conferences, notes of protests, declarations etc, are the means used to denounce the lack of labor contracts, cases of violence toward journalists and reporters, etc.
- Leaders of UAJ have initiated meetings and consultations with Albanian parliamentary and executive representatives on how to reflect the media community requests and rights into the new media Law;
- UAJ is in continuous contacts with homologues international and international forums, such as International Federation of Journalists, the European Union of Journalists, SEEMO, Croatian Union of journalists;
- UAJ has already begun the negotiations with several national media employers for the implementation of collective labor contracts in their media institutions. Four contracts have been signed in audiovisual media, public and private.
- On 25 March 2011, UAJ and other NGO in the field of gender equality, signed the Cooperation Framework Pact with the support of UN.
- From January 2011, UAJ is implementing a project related to Investigative Journalism, supported by OSI-Albania.