Saint Lazarus promotes better pay and social security conditions for journalists

Cristina Ruiz, federal deputy for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), presented a reform initiative to promote mechanisms to improve working conditions for journalists and communicators, given the precariousness in which they work in Mexico.

This Thursday, April 14, Ruiz Sandoval proposed amending the Federal Labor Law (LFT) and the Social Security Act (LSS), which broadens the definition coverage of media contributors and implements a higher classification in the occupational risk premium.

According to the proposal, the extension to all legal conditions for the profession of journalists will apply to anyone who investigates, generates, writes, provides opinions and carries out any other journalism-related activity for the company.

Among the indications they promote as mandatory is that employers must provide the necessary equipment to provide the service, accommodation and food when it is carried out more than 80 km from the location of the workplace, medical treatment and medicines, and private life insurance.

It also states that the working conditions of journalists shall be proportional to the nature and importance of the services they provide and may not be less than those governing similar jobs within the company. All this in relation to the amendments proposed for articles 187, 188, 189 and 190 of the LFT.

In addition to this, this legislation states that there will be minimum wages, which will be proportional to the research and studies carried out in the performance of their duties, but that in addition, thanks to this proposal, the risk of life due to the exercise of the profession will be considered, especially for workers journalists.

As for the reform proposed for the LSS, it proposes to reform Article 73, which determines the value of risk premiums in five different classes, with I being the lowest and V being the highest. This is to indicate that journalists, by the type of information, research, service or note they carry out, may endanger their lives, either at the beginning of their registration or already registered, so they will be classified in Class V.

During her argument, the secretary of the Political-Electoral Reform Commission of the Chamber of Deputies pointed out the conditions under which journalists must carry out their duties, which often put their lives or integrity at risk.

In the presentation of reasons, Ruiz Sandoval recalled that, on average, a journalist earns 6,195 pesos a month, which is an indication that those belonging to the guild are not considered in other contribution tabulators, even though their work may be considered high-risk.

Finally, he recalled that in Mexico, journalists are constantly under attack in various ways, such as the publication of their personal data and even precarious working conditions, which represents a clear violation of the protection of personal data, putting themselves and that of their families at risk.

He therefore insisted that his proposal, which was sent to the United Committees on Labour and Social Security and Social Security, will work so that in the exercise of this “noble and necessary work” you have proper protection of integrity, confidentiality of your information and a better quality of work.

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