BAIDOA-October 28, 2018 – The National Union of Somalia Journalists (NUSOJ) and the Finnish Media Development Organization (VIKES) today kicked off a two days EU funded media workers labour rights and how to organize training for 25 journalists in Baidoa, seat of the South West State aimed at improving their knowledge of labour rigts and how best they can organize themselves to agitate for their rights. This was the first media workers labour rights training to held in Baidoa.
The training was officially opened by Bay region governor Ali Abdirahman Wardere who said they are very happy to see Baidoa journalists getting specialized training on labour rights and praised the European Union for its consistence support to Somalia and thanked NUSOJ and VIKES for implementing the project.
The 18 male and 7 female media workers in Baidoa will for two days learn benefits of trade unions, labour rights as a press freedom, how to organize at local level and at trade union level, problem solving in work place. Benefits of collective action and working under a contract. On the last day of the training a panel discussion involving media managers will be held to scrutinise the status of media workers labour rights in South West State and how best to improve journalists labour rights.
“We are very happy to see South West State media workers getting a special media workers labour rights training and how to organize which will help them to know their rights and how to peacefully agitate for their rights. We are grateful to NUSOJ for standing with the media and doing a wonderful job,” Governor Wardere said in his opening speech.
NUSOJ Head of Training Farah Omar said the training in Baidoa is the 5 training to held in Somalia as similar trainings were held in Mogadishu, Garowe, Kismayo and Galkaayo.
“NUSOJ and VIKES hope to reach 150 Somali journalists in all 5 Federal States in Somalia by the end of trainings. Somali media work in a very challenging environment and as such need to be well renumirated and their other labour rights protected in order for them to concetrate on their important task of informing and educating the public. NUSOJ and VIKES will continue to support the media to help improve their professionalism,”
“We are planning to hold another labour rights training for journalists in Hirshabelle ,Jowhar before the end of this year ,so far 130 journalists were trainined in different parts of Somalia. It appears that there is an increasing awareness of working journalists and employers in terms of labour rights” NUSOJ Secretray General Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu said.
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