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Female journalists demand union representation
Dozens of female journalists from Gaza rallied on Sunday in front of the office of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate in Gaza City, demanding that membership be opened up to women.
Journalist Dunya Isma’il called on the PJS to introduce a set quota for women members, as in the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Ma’an News Agency reports.
“We request legal standards in registration and representation of female journalists in all the union’s committees, including membership and contest committees,” she said.
Struggle for union democracy
This is the latest twist in an extraordinary struggle now going on for the democratisation of the Palestinian journalists’ union.
Historically most Palestinian unions have been merely a front, or an extension, of one or other Palestinian political groupings.
However many unionists are currently fighting to re-create their organisations, making them accountable to the membership not to political faction leaders or the Palestinian Authority. The current struggle inside the Journalists Syndicate is particularly significant.
Global union federation tells Palestinian affiliate to postpone election, congress
In a highly unusual action on Saturday the global union federation for journalists, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) , stepped into the debate and called for a postponement in the process because of undue political interference. ( See earlier report)
Naim Toubassi, the President of the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate, and widely known as a veteran pro-Fatah journalist and editor, is also a member of the international executive of the IFJ .
Now Ma’an News Agency reports that women in the Palestinian journalist community are challenging the election processes in the union.
Exert pressure on Palestinian journalist union to adopt democratic standards
Dunya Isma’il said that the union’s elections should be delayed until a more appropriate time, and called for the democratic and professional performance of the PJS, regardless of political affiliation. “Partiality has not benefited journalism, rather, it has deepened the rivalry.”
Present action, she said, was but a step in a series of actions which will be taken in order to exert pressure on the PJS’ board to adopt democratic standards.
Women should hold 20 per cent of union board positions
Ula Abu Zayid of the Female Journalists’ Forum, further said that elections must be based on professionalism, adding that at least 20% of candidates for the PJS’ board must be women. Abu Zayid also requested that all the names of the union’s general assembly be officially announced to the public, and that contests remain open for a long enough period before candidates are announced.
Like her colleague, Abu Zayid said that elections should be delayed to ensure that the electoral process is clear to all journalists. The FJF will boycott elections if their demands are not met by the syndicate, she said.
Majida Bibeisi, representing the Forum of Independent Female Journalists, explained that the FIFJ does not accept the mechanisms used by the union to announce elections.
Nominations set to close Monday 1 February – with Tuesday only day to contest nominations
On Saturday the International Federation of Journalists called on the syndicate to postpone general elections in an effort to “establish an acceptable mechanism which guarantees transparent and comprehensive preparation uniting all journalists.”
Earlier, the PSJ had announced that nominations were open for the union’s leadership, with its committees receiving nominations between Saturday and Monday 1 February, and that Tuesday would be the only day to contest nominations.
Journalists eligible to participate in the conference number around 1,000, the syndicate said, from the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem.
Read earlier reports on the TULIP website