ANNUAL REPORT 2021 ANNUAL REPORT 2021

The staff

The staff

The necessary rotation of journalists this year meant the replacement of bureau chiefs (EFE’s representatives outside Spain) in six important cities: Brussels, Paris, London, La Paz, Rome and Sao Paulo. In 2021, there will be new bureau chiefs in Cairo, Washington, Tokyo, New York, Beijing, Puerto Rico and Jerusalem. EFE has a workforce of 1.123 employees.

Staff in Spain: 746

Collaborators in Spain: 354

The offices that have experienced a change of bureau chief in 2021 are: Rome, Washington, Tokyo, New York, Puerto Rico, Havana, Rabat, Beijing, Bogota editing desk, Sao Paulo, Santiago (bureau chief left in 2021 and replaced in 2022), La Paz, Teheran (correspondent), Jerusalem, Cairo and Asunción (bureau chief left in 2021 and replaced in 2022).

The total number of employees in 2021 was 1.123 (according to the Non-Financial Information Report).

Final staff (based on location)

Year 2021

Total final staff: 1.123

Year 2020

Total final staff: 1.106

Final staff (based on gender)

Year 2021

Total final staff: 1.123

Year 2020

Total final staff: 1.106

Collaborator information

During 2021, collective bargaining was strengthened with agreements for the Professional Profile Renewal Plan, pending authorization, which will allow the incorporation of new talent with digital skills and an adjustment in personnel costs, guaranteeing stable employment and the sustainability of Agencia EFE. An agreement for Agencia EFE’s first Remote Work Plan was also reached with the workers legal representatives, a hybrid in-person and remote work system, with the aim of improving the efficiency of the news service and the work-life balance for employees. Negotiations for a more modern, flexible and efficient labor structure began in 2021 with the aim of reaching a new collective bargaining agreement in 2022 to replace the one signed more than a decade ago.

Professional profile renewal plan

For the first time in 10 years, Agencia EFE reached an agreement to amend the Collective bargaining agreement to create a professional profile renewal plan.

The Renewal Plan will:

  • Promote professional renewal and generational change, incorporating new profiles prepared for the current market demand and multimedia journalism.
  • Incentivize the transition, by compensating those workers close to retirement age who, after many years of effort and dedication to the Agency, voluntarily wish to start other projects or early retirement.
  • Maintaining the workforce, without adjustments, after a 25% reduction in the last decade, guaranteeing the human resources required by an international news agency.
  • Avoid measures that negatively impact the working conditions of EFE's workforce such as those experienced in 2012-2016, with reductions in salaries and working hours.
  • Encourage internal promotions to fill vacancies in positions of responsibility.
  • Re-establish an appropriate proportion of leadership positions in the agency.

Re-establish an appropriate proportion of leadership positions in the agency.

Agencia EFE is among the first state-owned companies to reach an agreement with workers' representatives for a Remote Work Plan adapted to new regulations and guaranteeing the efficiency and quality of the service.

The agency's management has negotiated an advanced Digital Disconnect Policy to be approved in the first months of 2022.

The Professional Senior Journalist Promotion processes have resumed after being blocked since 2019 due to legal disputes.

In 2022, negotiations for the complete overhaul and modernization of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, in force since 2010 and obsolete in many aspects, will resume.

This modification will allow a general reorganization of the use of space at EFE's headquarters for improved efficiency and savings.

Occupational health and safety

To contribute to the improvement of the environment, during 2021, the General Services Management/ Prevention Service replaced conventional lighting with 34 LED lighting fixtures, a total of 30 kg of hazardous waste and 12 kg of non-hazardous waste were removed by authorized waste handlers, and waste separation was promoted by installing specific containers for paper, packaging and organic waste. To promote a preventive culture, information campaigns have been carried out, 44 new workers have been provided with information on health and safety risks and all workers have been provided with information on action protocols and safety and prevention measures for COVID19. Finally, with the aim of improving prevention management in the company, a pre-audit of the Prevention Management System was carried out.

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