NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE Informedissue 35 May 2021 Only war and a global pandemic sessions which will be open to all Yet, as the union’s News Recovery Plan have managed to derail the union’s members via Zoom. The business end of shows, there is much more to do and Delegate Meeting and now, thanks to DM will kick off on the morning of Friday we need to maximise the opportunity 21st-century technology, the union’s 21 May, and the conference will end on to reset the industry as it (hopefully) policy-making body will take place Saturday at 6pm. The Friday social will be emerges from the pandemic. DM this month online with a state-of-the- open for all members, a night of comedy will discuss LMNs from the national art voting system and a week of virtual headlined by Mark Thomas and his executive council (NEC) which call for events open to all members. All the guests Jonny and The Baptists and Shazia the union to step up its work in the UK agenda items that would have been Mirza. See the DM listings on page 7. and Ireland to secure a set of proposals dealt with at the planned Southport Covid-19 has had a huge effect on our to create a plural, vital and well-funded conference will be addressed and lives and work. The union’s all-member media. The NEC has also put the safety there will be an opportunity to submit survey showed many members suffered of journalists, following the escalation of Late Notice Motions (LMNs) dealing from the stress of juggling work and attacks on our members and the growing with urgent and current issues. Tim home schooling, seeing their freelance threat to media freedom across the Dawson explains how it will all work work evaporate or finding their hours cut globe, firmly on the agenda. on page 4. or facing redundancy. However, in his Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary, The new format also provides analysis of how the media industry has said: “While we will all miss the social an opportunity to bring DM to the fared a year after the first lockdown, Ian side of meeting up for DM this year, it’s membership with a week of events Burrell has found that it has come out good that the business can carry on starting from Monday 17 May – fringes, (so far) battered but not beaten and has and that DM activities are open to all panel discussions and training taster innovated in the face of the crisis. members.” Also Michelle’s DM After in this Message Events Covid-19 issue: Page 02 Page 07 Page 08 02 Informed Michelle’s Message They’ve all involved a sterling effort Re-reading those solidarity messages from members, reps and officials, [https://www.nuj.org.uk/resource/ working together to deliver up messages-of-support-flood-in-for-iran- an agreement with employers international-chapel.html] this week, intended to help shape the industrial relationship and improve collective When the Iran terms and conditions. News of the conclusion of negotiations International with one employer this month was a recognition deal was red letter Day for all involved. The path to recognition at Iran International has eventually done, there been the most arduous and painful of were tears of relief from journeys and reaching an agreement was a very special – and emotional – moment. members and for me No sooner had our national broadcasting tears of pride. official shared the news with me and our reps then we were all exchanging emails, from NUJ members and reps right across With DM advancing, with some of us in tears. Our reps spoke the unions, is also emotional as I know I’ve been reflecting of their joy after keeping the faith in the how much they buoyed our chapel face of the odds. members and gave them heart to fight on events of the past My tears were of pride in their strength on when the situation seemed almost year while writing of character and fortitude in sticking hopeless. with the NUJ in the face of the most Dealing with pressure to quit the NUJ, the addendum to stressful and challenging of difficulties to join BAJ to provide them with a fig-leaf the annual report over the past couple of years – the kind of legitimacy, supporting members who no-one should have to put up with simply felt threatened and bullied, keeping – the sheer scale for wanting to organise collectively in the the chapel together – it’s been quite the of industrial work union of their choice. The pressure they slog for our reps. It’s also one that led to have faced has been extreme and wholly the forced redundancy of our amazing the NUJ has been unacceptable. FoC and another founding committee engaged in, the NUJ members have supported our member – both cases we’re pursuing for Iran International chapel through trade union victimisation through the many victories this long process – sending message tribunal process. Our team, including of support and speaking out publicly lawyers from Thompsons, ensured our and wins for our when the company tried to thwart the arguments through the CAC won out, members, really application for recognition by signing a and eventually a recognition deal has secret sweetheart deal with the British been reached. stand out. Association of Journalists. A deal their It’s not the end of a process of course, general secretary charmingly likened this is simply the beginning. It’s going to to “walking past a sweet shop when the take some collective effort to improve owner comes out with a big bag of sweets industrial relations and to start the real and offers them to you for free, ‘of course work at hand. It’s important our chapel you’re going to say yes.’” In the face of committee has a period of stability to public pressure, BAJ walked away from regroup and focus with chapel members the deal – although we subsequently on the priorities they would like to see discovered through the Central addressed in the coming months. Arbitration Committee (CAC) process It’s twenty years since my own that they went on to sign a second involvement as a young rep helping secret recognition deal just days after revitalise a chapel and regaining publicly disavowing the first. Despicable recognition at Express Newspapers – behaviour from a union not worthy of the spurred into action by the overnight sale name. of the newspapers to Richard Desmond, Informed 03 a little-known purveyor of porn mags and OK magazine. We were supported by then newspapers organiser Jeremy Dear. Just as it looked like the NUJ was about to get its first national newspaper recognition back in many years, a spat over the REASONS ☞ imposed closure of the staff canteen had Jeremy receiving ever more angry early TO JOIN morning messages from executives Networking arriving at our Blackfriars Road office, The union puts on events for media the Grey Lubyanka. We’d commissioned workers to come together to share their a cartoon – a brilliant depiction of knowledge and expertise. These can be by sector, such as the freelance forums and Desmond, legs up on his desk, fat cigar in photographers’ summits, or cross-sector on hand, his butler serving up a banana on issues that unite all media workers. Students a silver platter (all true) with a group of and newcomers can benefit from meeting experienced members in the industry. hungry hacks in the doorway. I’d stayed in the office until late the night before, Are you keeping good company? and worked my way around the building Join the NUJ today at sticking up posters everywhere – on nuj.org.uk/join pillars, noticeboards, toilet doors, lifts, the stairwells… Given the company had refused to talk to the chapel reps, we thought we’d make them take notice another way. And how they did. First entreaties to remove them all before the chairman’s chauffer arrived in SE1, then threats to kibosh any recognition deal before it even got off the ground. All while the butler was dispatched to tear down posters – just as quickly replaced by NUJ members. We stood firm and within hours we had the discussions we had first sought to ensure that staff working through the nights and weekends – without the perk of a liveried butler on hand – were fed and watered. We got our recognition deal and embarked upon what was to be many crazy years of dealing with dysfunction and using our collective strength www.nuj.org.uk to neuter the management’s worst excesses and secure better terms and conditions for our members. That first brush was a lesson for me – in effort into securing regardless of size. to the Fairness at Work legislation. An sticking together, in the power of satire, We do that because we know the imperfect but pivotal law that restored and in the lengths some will go to in real difference they can make to our a legal right to recognition and spurred order to protect the ego and vanity of an members’ lives – they are the conduit to a organisation across the NUJ ever since overgrown toddler in an executive suit. genuine voice at work. Something former – enabling members to breathe life and More than any other union, the NUJ has general secretary John Foster knew spirit into those agreements, working a vast number of collective agreements, instinctively when he pioneered the together to ensure a collective voice at all of which we put significant collective Press for Union Rights campaign that led work becomes a reality.