Journalists in Senegal demand better working conditions

By Alioune Ndiaye

DAKAR, Senegal (AA) - A large number of Senegalese journalists took part in a sit-in in the capital Dakar on Monday to demand better working conditions.

More than 500 people took part in the action in front of the Ministry of Communication which was organized by the Coordination of Press Associations on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.

"Threat to the media, democracy in peril," read one of the banners held by demonstrators in red T-shirts.

"We ask everyone to stand in solidarity to demand the essential reforms that must take place in the media sector in Senegal," said Bamba Kasse, secretary general of the Syndicate of Information and Communication Professionals of Senegal (Synpics).

The trade unionist called for the replacement of the National Audiovisual Regulatory Council (CNRA) with a "stronger and more efficient regulator,” the establishment of a law of universal access to information and the application of the 2019 collective convention.

Established in 2019, the collective agreement, which defines the working relationship between employers and employees of media companies, in particular on the salary scale and health coverage, has not been fully respected until now.

"You cannot work for 10 years for a [press] company without having a pay slip," said Mame Diarra Gomis, a camerawoman working for the private press.

"Our mission must be to respect the collective agreement...Young reporters must be put in the right conditions to be able to do their job well," said Ibrahima Balde, president of the Convention of Young Reporters of Senegal (CJRS ).