Sectors such as printing and publishing, composed mostly of SMEs, will be hit hard in a scenario of continued falling demand. These sectors, which play a fundamental role in the dissemination of culture and reliable news, must be given special consideration. UNI Europa Graphical and Intergraf call for a specific plan to help the sector and calls on unions and national employers’ organisations to join this demand with their respective governments, bearing worker’s health and safety as the very top priority.
“When one in ten people in Europe don’t have access to internet at home, it is clear printing and publishing has a vital role to play. Food and medicine packages, newspapers, these are essential to ensuring people have access to the accurate information they rely on. In this crisis, we cannot take any of these things for granted. It is very encouraging to see that we can work together with our counterpart Intergraf to ramp up the response in these difficult times,” said Oliver Roethig, Regional Secretary of UNI Europa.
The European graphical industry comprises 113,000 companies, employing some 620,000 people in the different Member States and generating an annual turnover of 80 billion EUR. The industry is mainly composed of small companies, with 90% of companies employing fewer than 10 staff.
Read the full statement here (also available in French, German and Spanish):
*Picture credit: David Morgans (CC BY 4.0)