Journalists Union seeks mediation for radio sector collective bargaining

The Journalists Union (SJ) has requested the Portuguese Ministry of Labor, Solidarity, and Social Security to initiate a conciliation process to resume collective bargaining negotiations for the radio sector. The union cited “bad faith negotiation demonstrated by employer associations over the last year” as the reason for seeking state mediation through the Directorate-General for Employment and Labor Relations (DGERT).

The dispute stems from a proposal submitted by the SJ in July 2024 to the Portuguese Association of Broadcasting (APR) to revise the collective agreement that has been in place since 2002. The union’s proposal included urgent salary updates to align radio workers' pay with those in the press.

While the union agreed to include the Portuguese Association of Christian Inspiration Radios (ARIC) in the negotiations to broaden the scope of the agreement, it reported that employer counterproposals arrived late and failed to include salary increases. The union has now moved for formal mediation to resolve the impasse.