Article 6 of Law No. 5953 settles the whole calculation in one sentence: a journalist's seniority is calculated from first entry into the profession. What counts is total service in the profession, not the time spent with the same employer.
The Two Regimes Compared
| Subject | Law 5953 (journalist) | Law 4857 (worker) |
|---|---|---|
| Start of seniority | Date of first entry into the profession | Date of starting with that employer |
| Changing employer | Seniority continues | Seniority resets |
| Gaps in between | Do not disturb the annual leave calculation (Art. 21) | Seniority is interrupted |
An Express Rule for Annual Leave
Article 21 makes the test even clearer for annual leave: the seniority of journalists is determined by total service in the profession, whether the employment contract continued or was re-formed after breaks.
Leaving the profession for a period and returning does not reset the counters.
A Worked Example
| Period | Where | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 – 2015 | Newspaper A | 5 years |
| 2015 – 2017 | Outside the profession | — |
| 2017 – 2024 | News agency B | 7 years |
| 2024 – 2026 | Your outlet | 2 years |
Total service in the profession is 14 years. The fact that only two of them were with you does not change the severance or annual leave calculation.
How Is Seniority Documented?
Article 4 requires the journalist's seniority to be stated in the contract. What to ask for as supporting evidence:
- Service certificates from previous employers
- Social security service record
- Press card and card history, if any
- Previous written employment contracts
- Notifications made under Article 9
The last item is little known: under Article 9 the making and the termination of the contract are notified to the relevant authorities, and the civil administration sends a copy of the declaration to the competent authority for the determination of the journalist's seniority. There is, in other words, an official chain of records built for exactly this purpose.
If Severance Has Been Taken Once
The rule carries an exception: under Article 6, where a journalist has once received severance pay, their seniority is calculated from the date they entered the new job. But the same sentence leaves a door open — an agreement to the contrary may be made. This is covered in the severance reset article.
A Different Test for Notice
Bottom Line
A journalist's seniority is calculated from first entry into the profession, on total service in the profession; changing employer and gaps in between do not disturb the calculation. Seniority must be stated in the contract and should be based on documents.