Originally published at: https://cji.ro/fair-mediasind-in-parteneriat-cu-cji-lanseaza-prima-platforma-a-avertizorilor-publici-din-cultura-si-mass-media/
FAIR-MediaSind, the only representative federation for media and culture workers, will start using GlobaLeaks , the software dedicated to integrity warnings. The software is provided by the Hermes Center for Transparency and Digital Human Rights and is promoted in Romania within the European project Expanding Anonymous Tipping (EAT ) by the Center for Independent Journalism (CJI).
The warning platform is available at: fairmediasind.disclosers.eu and can be accessed through the Mediasind website.
The management of FAIR-MediaSind says that it has resorted to this solution so that the 8,000 members of the federation can feel safe when they notice irregularities, without fear of reprisals. Such a solution proves all the more necessary given that public television, where the federation has many members, has adopted an internal code that allows the dismissal of the employee, if he publicly abuses. With the help of GlobaLeaks, the risk of them being recognized and punished is removed.
Leonard Pădureț, president of FAIR-MediaSind and president of the National Trade Union of Culture FAIR, appreciates that “ The difficult situation of social dialogue in Romania, worsened by the current pandemic, forces us to find new ways to defend more effectively the rights of our members in culture and mass -mediate. This platform is a very useful new tool that we make available to our members in order to be able to identify and solve problems in the sector without exposing our warning members ”.
Cristi Godinac, executive president of FAIR-MediaSind and president of the Romanian Union of MediaSind Journalists, claims that the platform launched today with the support of the IJC will allow employees and freelancers in culture and media to report, under the protection of anonymity, many more irregularities in the institutions where he works. The requests will be taken over by the specialized lawyers of the federation and will be solved in due time. ” It simply came to our notice thenI submitted to the Parliament, on behalf of my TVR colleagues, a warning in the public interest. The employer has abusively adopted a code that allows dismissal if an employee criticizes his employer or has differing opinions with him. If they come improperly dressed or sue their employer, our colleagues may be fired because it is considered a serious disciplinary violation. In this context, employee anonymity is essential. We need abuse to be reported. From then on, our lawyers and I know which way to go. GlobaLeaks makes our work easier “, says Godinac.
“The last few months have shown us how important it is to have warnings that feel safe when reporting irregularities. In a society like ours, where whistleblowers are seen as “traitors” or threatened with criminal cases if they talk to the press, for example, a different platform can ensure their anonymity if they so desire. “, Says Cristina Lupu, CJI executive director.
The EU Directive on the protection of persons reporting breaches of Union law 1937/23 October 2019 brings new obligations on the protection of whistleblowers [1] , in particular the creation of a protected channel for internal reporting, both for public sector institutions, owned or controlled entities of these, as well as for private sector companies.
GlobaLeaks is an open source platform , used by over 300 entities from all over Europe. It functions as an internal warning channel and meets all the requirements of the new European Directive for the protection of whistleblowers.