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Two years ago, on 11 June 2013, ERT went black. Today it is back. This thanks to the fight of laid off ERT employees and their unions who kept ERT open for over 20 months. 

UNI Global Union and its media, entertainment and arts sector welcomes that the Greek government has reinstate ERT. Today marks a turning point with the government celebrating the reinstatement of ERT. We applaud the government’s action. However, bring back ERT on air will have failed if there is no full reinstatement as laid out in the announcement by the government in February of this year. The community of broadcasting unions is concerned that workers will suffer again and promises may not be kept.

Only when all workers are back, ERT is truly back!

UNI MEI Global Unions calls on the Greek government to remain true to its commitment and work towards a full reinstatement of ERT, develop and implement a plan in concertation with the social partners to sustain an independent, democratic, diverse and high quality public service broadcasting in Greece with a rich regional footprint.

The workers of ERTopen, POSPERT and the media unions, after the Samaras coup against ERT on 11 June 2013 and for the next 20 months kept ERT broadcasting signal alive, all over Greece until today. ERT is open and we demand the cancelation of all Samaras’ decisions regarding ERT. We also demand its indicative running, as before 11 June 2013, with all its programs and frequencies. The workers of ERTopen and their unions deserves credit and our thanks. They have upheld the value of media democracy and public service broadcasting after the coup against public service broadcasting by the Samaras government. 

” The vision and values of ERT workers and their unions need to be an integral part of a sustainable, independent public service broadcaster in a reformed audio-visual media landscape, “said UNI MEI President Gerry Morrissey. 

“We are proud to have among our affiliates our Greek member organisation POSPERT”, said William Maunier, the media sector’s European President. “Our colleagues, led by President Panagiotis Kalfagiannis and General Secretary Gabriel Kasimatis have never let the Troika, the Samaras government and the fading away of support after the initial enthusiasm for ERT destroy the hope and belief that ERTopen is the right answer to the caricature of public service broadcasting that Samaras set-up in 2013. “We will continue to support the campaign of POSPERT and all colleagues at ERTopen for a truly independent, sustainable public service broadcaster, which gives universal and affordable access to all citizens to quality and diverse programming. ERT belongs to the people!”