International
Nordic co-operation
The freelance journalists in the Nordic countries share common interests and challenges. Freelancers can gain on the Nordic freelance cooperation by sharing information and good practices. The aim is to strengthen our international co-operation to help us solve problems and make life easier for freelancers in all the member countries.
Nordic freelance organisations, within the journalist unions of each country, will use the Nordic Freelance Cooperation as a common platform to meet challenges and to develop joint strategies. The work is organised by the Nordic Committee, which meets regularly, a minimum of 6 times per year. The highest decision-making body, the Top Meeting, meets once a year. The Nordic freelance organisations also arrange a Nordic freelance seminar each year, in one of the member countries.
The Nordic freelance organisations are:
1. FreelanceGruppen/Dansk journalistlag, from Denmark: https://journalistforbundet.dk/freelancegruppen
2. Frilans Riks/Svenska Journalistförbundet, from Sweden: http://www.frilansriks.org
3. NJ Frilans/Norsk journalistlag, from Norway: https://www.nj.no/no/Om_NJ/Lag_og_klubber/NJ_Frilans/
4. Suomen Freelance-journalistit ry/Suomen journalistiliitto, the Finnish Freelance Journalists Association from Finland: http://www.freet.fi
+ Freelance ammattiosasto/Radio-ja tv-toimittajien liitto/Suomen journalistiliitto, representing the Freelance TV- and Radio journalists in Finland: http://fao.fi
Nordic Committee members of the season 2017-2018:
Lisbet Jære, jaerelisbet(at)gmail.com, NJ Frilans, NORWAY
Mirjami Ylinen, mirjami.ylinen(at)gmail.com, Freelance ammattiosasto (FAO), FINLAND
Marianne Bækbøl, mb(at)freelancegruppen.dk, FreelanceGruppen, DENMARK
Henrik Simonsen, henriksimonsen(at)gmail.com, Frilans Riks, SWEDEN
Petri Juola, pjmotormedia(at)gmail.com, Suomen Freelance-journalistit (SFJ) FINLAND
The nordic co-operation (to be updated)
The Nordic freelance cooperation is based on the fact that freelance journalists in the Nordic countries share common interests and challenges. Freelancers can gain on the Nordic freelance cooperation by sharing information and good practices. The media develop rapidly, and, as a consequence, the working conditions for freelancers change. The aim is to strengthen our international co-operation to help us solve problems and make life easier for freelancers in all the member countries.
Nordic freelance organisations will use the Nordic Freelance Cooperation as a common platform to meet these challenges and to develop joint strategies. The work is organised by the Nordic Committee which meets regularly, a minimum of 6 times per year and the highest decision-making body, a Top Meeting which meets once a year. The Nordic freelance organisations also arrange a Nordic freelance seminar each year.
Top meeting
An annual top meeting will be held for Nordic freelancers in May, June or August. The host country invites 4 members from each organisation for lunch and dinner. Lunch and dinner for participants exceeding 4 from each country must be paid for by the home organisation.
The invitation to the Top meeting is sent out by the committee two months before the Nordic meeting at the latest. One month before the top meeting national reports and the agenda is sent out by the committee for all participants to read before the meeting.
The top meeting has the highest authority in the Nordic cooperation, and all major decisions should be taken at the top meeting. Denmark, Norway and Sweden will have two votes at the top-meeting. The two Finnish freelance organisations (SFJ and FAO) will have one vote each.
The general secretary of NFJ (Nordic federation of Journalists) should be invited to the top meeting.
The top meeting should begin with a short report from the freelance organisations in each Nordic country. The report should consist of a few issues of international Nordic freelance interest. Reports and news from the NFJ, EFJ, IFJ and FREG/EFJ should be presented.
The meetings follow normal routines for formal meetings. The committee is responsible for sending out the minutes of the meeting no later than two weeks after the meeting to the Nordic boards.
Guests may be invited when needed to enlighten certain topics.
The top meeting will take place at the location of the freelance event when this takes place.
Appointing new committee members at the Top meeting:
For every Top meeting, the committee-member from each country/organisation should always be suggested. Each country/organisation will always present their new member at the meeting, but if not decided, the chairman of the organisation will be the committee-member, until another member is chosen by the organisation.
The Nordic Committee
The members of the Nordic Committee should be one person from each freelance board or other union representatives. Finland will be represented by one person from each of the two Finnish freelance organisations.
The committee will have a minimum of six meetings, a year. This includes meeting in person just before the top meeting, and at one or two of the annual meetings of the national organisations. The Nordic Committee will meet via Internet-applications.
The Nordic committee has a secretary + one vice secretary, that the committee chooses from the committee members.
The committee is also responsible for the distribution of information with inter-Nordic content relevant to freelancers in the Nordic countries. This information should be distributed via a homepage, Facebook etc.
The committee is responsible for setting up working groups.
The old committee will meet for the last time before/during each Nordic top meeting. The new elected committee will meet first time shortly after the elections during the Nordic Top meeting to select a secretary and decide the time/date for the first meeting.
The committee will meet physical at one or several annual meetings, held by the Nordic freelance organisations. Each country’s freelance-organisation will pay for travel and accommodation for their own representative in the committee.
The committee-members will keep in touch via meetings, e-mail and the Nordic freelance board members – Facebook group.
Working groups
The working groups should deal with relevant current problems and issues. Members of the smaller working groups can include members of the committee as well as people brought in from outside the committee. The working group does not have to have representation from all countries. The top meeting could start or initiate working groups.
Secretary
Right after the committee is elected, the group appoints a secretary and a vice-secretary of the committee from the members. The secretary is elected for one year at a time. The job as secretary should not be much more time-consuming than the tasks of the other members.
The secretary is responsible for the liaison between the freelance boards and the general secretary of the Nordic Federation of Journalists (NFJ), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Freelance Rights Expert Group (FREG).
Other duties
The secretary will always have a short agenda sent to everyone in the committee 1 week (7 days) before the next meeting. Ask for propositions 2 weeks before. All propositions have to be send to the secretary at the latest (10 days) before the meeting. The secretary always writes a short protocol from each meeting, which is sent to everyone within 1 week, to be checked.
The secretary can ask the vice-secretary to be in charge of the meeting if he/she doesn’t have time.
Nordic cooperation – NJF
Journalists’ unions in the Nordic countries cooperate closely in the framework of the Nordic Federation of Journalists (NFJ) on everyday advocacy matters. The NFJ also coordinates inter-Nordic activity in the different bodies of the EFJ and IFJ. Other NFJ member unions are the Swedish Journalists Union, the Norwegian Journalists Union, the Danish Journalists Union, the Island Journalists Union and the Faroese Union of Journalists. The presidency of the NFJ rotates every two years among the member unions. Finland held the presidency from 2009-2011, Sweden from 2011-2013, Denmark 2013-2015, Norway 2015-2017.
