After the increase in the radio license fee blocked by Saxony-Anhalt by 86 cents to 18, 36 Euro are the first consequences of public broadcasting. Deutschlandradio has made use of a special right to terminate the current collective bargaining agreements, as the public broadcaster confirmed on request from dpa.

Director Stefan Raue emphasized : “The termination of the current collective agreement is unfortunately a necessary measure for Deutschlandradio, which demands a lot from the employees.” The German Association of Journalists (DJV) criticized the move. The federal chairman Frank Überall told the dpa: “That could lead to a pioneering role that leads to a conflagration.”

In December, the government of Saxony-Anhalt opposed the will of all other countries to increase the radio license fee in Germany from monthly 17, 50 Euro to 18, 36 Euro on January 1st 2021 blocked. ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio immediately sued the Federal Constitutional Court. Urgent applications were rejected by the court before the end of the year, there is still no decision on the main matter.

Further austerity measures Deutschlandradio has decided on further episodes. For example, the expansion of the DAB + transmitter network is to be interrupted or postponed. According to its own statements, the broadcaster decided to use such adjustment screws in order to avoid possible cuts in the program and to secure the operational process. The focus was on measures that could be implemented in the short term.

Raue emphasized that the priority for the decision-making process was that, until a decision by the Federal Constitutional Court in the main proceedings, one did not want to decide on any steps “that would have significantly impaired the program mandate . »

Uncertainty among employees The DJV federal chairman everywhere emphasized on public broadcasting: “The decision of the Federal Constitutional Court is causing great uncertainty, both among permanent freelancers and permanent employees.” The DJV feared that the broadcasters would undertake “big orgies” that would “have a negative impact on the program and the employees”.

According to its own information, the DJV currently has concrete signs of possible job cuts but not. Everywhere pleaded for the broadcasters to continue to fulfill their mandate as public broadcasters and, if necessary, to end with a minus this year.

(ndi )