FESOJ organized a one-day advocacy meeting with media owners and managers in Mogadishu, Somalia
Mogadishu, Monday, July 15, 2024: Mogadishu, Saturday, July 13, 2024: The Federation of Somali Journalists (FESOJ) concluded a one-day advocacy meeting with media owners and managers in Mogadishu. The objective of the meeting was to raise awareness and foster understanding among media managers and owners regarding the importance of advocating for improved labor rights and working conditions for journalists.
The meeting took place on Monday, July 15, 2024, at Sahafi Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. Members from the Trusted Persons Committee were also present at the advocacy gathering.
In his opening speech, Farah Omar Nur, Secretary General of FESOJ, stated that this annual advocacy meeting would address the labor rights situation of media workers with the directors of ten media stations in Mogadishu.
Ahmed Tifow, Chairman of the Trusted Persons Committee, highlighted the challenges faced by media workers, including the absence of written contracts, low salaries, uncompensated overtime work, lack of leave, limited training opportunities, and journalists’ reluctance to discuss their challenges with media directors and owners. He emphasized that written contracts are essential for resolving these issues and called for collaborative efforts.
The key issues discussed to tackle these challenges included enhancing professional training for journalists, particularly in social media content production, and increasing the role of independent media management.
During the meeting, participants proposed increasing interactions between media managers and FESOJ to address the absence of written contracts, finding solutions to the low income affecting the sustainability of media stations, and preserving media human resources.
The necessity for a joint needs assessment was also raised to identify the required training programs for journalists, with a particular emphasis on the importance of joining labor trade unions to safeguard their labor rights and improve their working conditions.
Ahmed Ali Mohamed Sharif, Head of Training Department at FESOJ, facilitated a session that stressed three key points for well-established and standard media stations: written station policies, recruitment processes, and contracts. He emphasized the significance of displaying these policies for all media staff to be well-informed.
Finally, Farah Omar Nur, Secretary General of FESOJ, expressed appreciation to the media managers for their attendance and called for further collaboration to enhance journalists’ working conditions and protect their labor rights through ongoing dialogue within their respective stations.
The advocacy meeting is part of a program funded by the EU, supported by Free Press Unlimited (FPU), and implemented by FESOJ in cooperation with VIKES.
