The Saudi cabinet has approved a new bill to restructure the kingdom's press industry and allow hundreds of Saudi journalists to form a trade union for the first time, newspapers reported Tuesday.
The new bill, approved during a cabinet meeting chaired by King Fahd on Monday, will replace a 40-year-old law banning journalists from forming an association.
A trade union will look after the welfare of journalists in the oil-rich kingdom, and oversee the introduction of a minimum wage, job security and other benefits.
According to the bill, no journalist registered with the union could be sacked before it was consulted.
The bill also requires that all Saudi newspapers be published by establishments with a minimum of 30 Saudi university-educated founders.
In addition, editor in chiefs and managing editors must be Saudi nationals and holders of university degrees.
There are around 11 dailies, including three English papers, published in conservative Saudi Arabia. There is no official censorship in the kingdom, but editors apply self-censorship and do not publish news deemed contradictory to national interests -- RIYADH (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
