Journalists have a ‘clause de conscience’ in their collective agreement with the employers’ association. It is probably very seldom used, at least that is what surveys have shown. Swedish labour laws protect employees from being dismissed for their personal convictions. The Journalists’ Union argues for less short-term employments in order to protect members’ financial situation, but also in order to foster a more secure work atmosphere with healthy opposition and debate on journalistic issues. The union feels that the Labour Court increasingly favours loyalty over freedom of speech when solving labour contract disputes.
The union also notices that threats against journalists seem to have become more common – not just from extremist political groups, but also from relatives to persons in the news, entertainment companies and sports fans. The union finds that the employers do assume their responsibilities in this field and make the necessary precautions.
