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On United Nations Public Service Day of 23 June affiliates of UNI MEI Global Union take action and mobilise for a sustainable public service broadcasting.



Trade unions want to raise awareness among their members, decision makers and the wider public on the importance of public service broadcasting for the democratic culture in our societies. Broadcasting Unions around the world engage in a vast variety of actions to draw attention to the United Nations Public Service Day and the value of public service broadcasting.



In a statement that unions are disseminating to their members and workers in the media sector, politicians and public they underline the importance of public service broadcasting for democracy, for our societies and for the development of the welfare state.



The global community of broadcasting unions asks that all countries commit themselves to the defence of public broadcasting services, ensuring adequate funds to fulfil the objectives that we have set out above. It must be a fundamental right of citizenship to have access to a pluralistic media with many opinions and voices. Otherwise, if public broadcasting services are allowed to wither away through lack of funding, we would lose an important voice in society. Support for public broadcasting means encouraging many different voices to speak. A plurality of voices is important for an open democratic country. Public broadcasting helps people to exercise their democratic rights by giving them information about the society in which they live.



We call on the citizens of the world to:

· Resist all attempts to destroy public television, radio and the internet.

· Cherish and Support the public broadcaster in their own country

· See it as a valuable service providing information and cultural entertainment for all

· Embrace it and support it.

· Think that democracy is never enough. Fight for more.

· Realize that every conquered democratic right is useful to the struggle for more democracy



Actions were kicked off by Spanish colleagues who took the message to the streets and demonstrated in front of the Catalan Parliament on 22 June.

Broadcasting Unions defend RTV in Spain.

As UNI affiliates joined in the messaging campaign on this global day of action, unions are facing attacks on the independence of public service broadcasting:



For many month unions in Korea campaign against political pressure on the editorial line of public broadcasters and their staff. The strong alliance among unions ad their actions has brought the issue to the front of the political debate.

Korean Colleagues @ a campaign session

BECTU (UK) General Secretary and UNI MEI President, Gerry Morrissey addressed a letter to Prime Minister Cameron responding to the attempts of the UK Conservative party to push for the nomination of a conservative as next Director General of the BBC, a move against the independence of the world's flagship of public service broadcasting. An online-petition to support the independence of the BBC has been launched recently and you can support it as well here.



How important editorial independence is for democracy can be seen during an election campaign. In their message on the United Nation Public Service Day, French unions underlined the importance of public service broadcasting in ensuring objective information in political debates and the recent Presidential elections.



However, it's not only the editorial independence that is an issue of concern. Attempts to restrict the role of pubic broadcasters have is another attempt to push back PBS. The German union verd.di stressed the importance of a real and relevant presence of public service broadcasters on the Internet by developing new media services that translate their traditional public service mission in the digital environment.



In the the Czech Republic and Greece, colleagues fear for the very existence of sustainable public service broadcasting as governments continue to cut budgets dramatically.



Download the statement of UNI MEI by selecting the English, French, Czech, Dutch, German, Portuguese and Spanish version from the menu "related files" above.