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One year and a half ago, on 11 June 2013, the Greek Government with a ministerial decision, without discussion and voting in the Greek Parliament, in one night, closed the ERT laying off its entire staff.

The government falsely alleged budgetary reasons. However, ERT was the only public organization which produced a surplus and reimbursed in terms of taxes and social security contributions, more than 100 million € per year.

This arbitrary decision was a brutal blow to freedom of speech and expression, to culture and democracy.
It created a giant wave of reaction on behalf of workers, POSPERT, POESY, the Press Association, the political parties, mass organizations, and the Greek people in Athens and across the country. Similar reactions were in every part of the world where a Greek voice and Diaspora exists. International and European organisations, parties, movements, and people expressed strong reactions. This wide and dynamic protest against the black out of ERT by the Greek Government resulted in a historic decision of the whole of the people:

ERT IS AND WILL REMAIN OPEN!

The redundant workers serve this decision. They work without salary to keep in operation the facilities of ERT, throughout Greece, by informing citizens, producing full radio and television program, with ERTOPEN, ERT3 and all regional radio stations, in FM, AM, as well as SW for  worldwide covering.
They are serving the freedom of speech, the culture, the institutions, the constitution, the democracy with respect for universal human values. They protect the public property, buildings and equipment and the valuable ERT frequencies.

The great majority of Greek people supports this fight, choosing this program for its information and entertainment. The international community of broadcasting workers and their global organisation, UNI and Global Union – Media, Entertainment & Arts, UNI MEI support and will continue to support the media workers and journalist of ERTOPEN in their efforts.

The Government is using every means to fool the Greek people and the international community. They created the construct DT (Public Television) – NERIT (New Hellenic Radio Internet and Television) a small channel for fully controlled by the government without independence.
NERIT has nothing to do with the fundamental principles for public service broadcasting – and the manifesto endorsed by trade unions representing public broadcasting workers worldwide affiliated to UNI MEI.

NERIT’s share of viewers is lower than 5% based on AGB Nielsen and is not accepted by the Greek society, political parties and mass organizations of the spiritual and artistic world of the country: they do not participate in their programmes.
Without employees, NERIT operates with staff hired from the Ministry of Finance working as seasonal, with two-month contracts, an abusive practice brought before and pending in court

NERIT works without a legal and functioning Board or Supervisory Board: consecutive resignations or dismissals of its Chairman and its Chief executive underline its dysfunction.

NERIT stands for opacity, favouritism, squandering public money, continuous and direct government interference:

• Makridimitris, former Chairman of NERIT: “I refer to the Board and the Supervisory Board. The decisions taken, in my opinion, are invalid. We need to regain its legal establishment in order to take decisions.”
• P. Kapsis, former Minister of Public Broadcasting: “Now I know that is almost impossible to create services of general interest under such oppressive political pressure.”

A law that the government arbitrarily changed in its interest violating every parliamentary and constitutional provisions establishes NERIT.
In reaction to the changes of rules governing NERIT, the President of EBU, Mr. Philippot sent a letter of protest in summer 2014 to the Prime Minister of Greece, stating: “We are now surprised and disappointed that these rules have been changed virtually overnight, without proper public consultation and debate, and without considering best practice in Europe with regard to legal safeguards to ensure an independent and pluralistic composition of public service broadcasters’ supervisory bodies.”
The recent decision of the EBU to admit NERIT as an active member is in sharp contrast to the will of the overwhelming majority of Greek people of workers and Greek entities. The EBU President’s claim that ERT employees and Greek society request the establishment of a new public service broadcaster distorts and misrepresents the reality and it is for this reasons we ask Mr. Philippot to revoke his statement.

No collective entity, no worker, no citizen in Greece and abroad did request the creation of NERIT. On the contrary, they complain and demand the reopening of ERT.
The statement of the EBU President of December 2014 causes anger and resentment among all of us, in each organisation and community, which support the struggle of ERT redundant workers, standing with ERT and ERTOPEN. The decision of the EBU General Assembly, in our view, is in sharp contrast with the values, principles and rules of public service broadcasting organisations.

We express our opposition to your decision because it ignores and undermines the struggle of our fellow redundant workers and journalists of ERT. The EBU decision goes against all those who did not accept the black out of 11 June 2013, who resisted and kept ERT open, defending the independence of public service broadcasting, freedom of speech, and democracy.

We call on the EBU to stop supporting the government-controlled broadcaster NERIT and to join Greek media workers and journalists of ERTOPEN in strengthening true independent public broadcasting.

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