The world of IT is not known for embracing  a union mentality or culture.  In fact, there are…erm…none.  Presumably because – let’s face it – the pay and conditions are pretty damn good already! Or, maybe due to the fact there is a widely shared opinion that the more they reward employees, the harder they work and the harder they work, the ‘luckier’ they get?  Or they are an oppressed and silenced bunch, forced to drive around in BMWs and holiday in Dubai. Who knows?

Passion

So, hard as it is to believe, this was my first contact with any form of union outpouring during my 44 years on the planet; having been asked to be part of the student team reporting the conference ‘live and kicking’.

And, KICKING it was.  The passion displayed by the members, delegates, speakers, students and execs was all-consuming and hedonistically intoxicating.  I can’t remember seeing anyone in IT speaking so animatedly about ‘disaster recovery software’ or ‘enterprise software systems’ at a conference.

Another thing that struck me was the camaraderie and the willingness of the members to help out us [relatively] journalistic virgins.  People came to our bunker and sought out individuals to give a word of praise, encouragement or constructive feedback as well as being on hand to be commandeered themselves for interviews and/or advice.

Militancy

Although it is tempting to look down on anyone even marginally right of centre as a waste of space, there are some aspects I experience in corporateland that could be welcomed.  Like the ability to take the piss out of ourselves without it turning into an international incident.

Loud and sweary - (C) damianjozwik.com

Uproar occurred when one of the students twittered that an impassioned speech by the wonderful Eamonn McCann was ‘loud’ (it was) and that he was expecting him to say “Feck” and “Gin” next – an obvious reference to the much-missed and fondly remembered Father Ted comedy show.  This was FUNNY and, obviously, a personal opinion!! (see blogged criticism – opens new window)

By adopting an outraged approach to the tweet, which is, by its very nature, off the cuff, are we not trying to censorship free speech; the very thing we spend most of an ADM trying fiercely to protect?  Could we not just loosen up sometimes and remember just how short life is (watching my father die made me realise this) or am I being exceptionally naive? NEC member Niall Hunt blogged on this too – link opens new window.

Friends

All that said, I have definitely made new friends and will relish future debates we will undoubtedly have whilst knowing that we share a mutual respect for each other, regardless of our differing views and divided opinions.

I have also resolved to become a more active member of the NUJ in my college – we need to recruit, recruit, recruit; especially the new, young blood.

My desire for a bit more light-heartedness may be simplistic but forgive me; I have been in IT….although please don’t tell my Mother I was in IT – she thought I played the piano in a French whorehouse.

Motion 149 was carried, instructing the National Executive Committee (NEC) for a change in the law to ensure that if employees are in the midst of a dispute with a company the employer is not allowed to outsource during the dispute.

It is a matter of human rights said Leeds branch, proposing the motion.

Leeds’ motion 150 aims at making all employers aware of the legal requirement in the United Kingdom which allows trade union representatives to get paid time off to carry out their duties. Guidelines from the legal department will be on the website within the next few days. The motion was passed unanimously.

Supporting Our Members

Manchester proposed motion 151 which instructs the NEC to give full backing to members who have been discriminated against because of their membership.

This motion is present because the branch believes that these members have not always been supported fully – but stress they are not calling for more financial help. It is merely about the way members are treated and welcomed by the NEC.

Jeremy Dear of NEC withdrew an NEC amendment to the motion saying that the NEC now better understood the intentions lying behind the motion.

He concluded: “It’s not about whether or not we support them it’s always about how we best support them.” The motion was carried.

Using Historical Media Campaigns As Examples

Using the 25^th anniversary of the miners’ strike as a platform for motion 152, ADM instructed the NEC to aid the campaign to defend standards in local and regional media. Those in favour told ADM it was appalling to no longer have national coverage of the daily working life of British people. The motion was passed.

Late Motions

Late motion 2 was proposed by Edinburgh and District branch and calls for support to the campaign in Scotland to fight against the poor handling of the Chamber’s Harrap closure in Edinburgh by the Hachette group.

It urges the NEC to do everything it can to to see if at least some part of the redundancies and Chamber’s name and brand as well as skills can be maintained for Scottish publishing. The motion was carried with no objections.

]]> http://www.nujadm.org.uk/trade-union-rights/feed/ 0 http://www.nujadm.org.uk/interview-with-christine-buckley-journalist-editor-2/ http://www.nujadm.org.uk/interview-with-christine-buckley-journalist-editor-2/#comments Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:10:35 +0000 Zoe Rafah http://www.nujadm.org.uk/interview-with-christine-buckley-journalist-editor-2/

Christine Buckley interview.mp3 (3558 KB)

Posted via email from Kat’s posterous

Jeremy Dear, General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), said yesterday that the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) would rethink the Training department’s funding in light of new proposals.

A motion brought forward to the union’s Annual Delegate Conference (ADM), suggested that the NEC should look into the profit-making possibilities of the training courses.

Although the motion had to be withdrawn due to an inaccuracy, Dear said the NEC would have backed it had it gone ahead.

He said: “Had the motion been in order we [the NEC] would have supported it. We would have investigated whether or not this was a possibility.

“NUJ training has a good reputation. It’s successful, and if we can make it more successful and available to more people then we’ll certainly look at it.”

Motion

Dear added: “Costs are a massive issue for us. Therefore we have to look at all the costs. But if this is something that could not be a cost but a benefit then we would not only keep it, we would expand it.”

The union was looking to cut one member of staff from the department as a cost saving measure.

Motion 132 instructed that the NEC should instead “investigate NUJ training operating as a profit centre, marketing its commercial course more aggressively and using its profits to continue providing cheap courses for members”.

The motion was withdrawn by the London Magazine branch over a mix-up about how the department’s salaries are funded. However, the principles of the motion will be taken on board.

Training

Last year the Training department ran 87 courses. 60 were in professional journalist training. The department also organises training for commercial companies and trade union training.

The Training department was also responsible for organising the students who have been reporting on ADM.

At the moment the union’s commercial training programmes are only advertised in The Journalist and on the NUJ website. One option would be to expand this marketing to bring in more commercial clients.

Over the last year commercial clients have included the Magazine company Informa, the Open University, Lexus Nexus and the Cabinet Office.

Linda King, the union’s Education and Training Officer, said: “We are getting more and more demand [for our courses] as members are losing jobs. In the current economic climate a way of retaining that membership is through retraining the individuals who have lost their jobs.”

We will watch the NEC’s progress with interest.

Links (open in new window)

NUJ Training

London Magazine Branch

All motions concerned the role of new editor of the Journalist, Christine Buckley, and the state of the Journalist magazine.

Richard Simcox, from the Press and PR branch, said: “We’re really lagging behind in terms of how we run things. We could, and probably should be, following the students’ examples.”

All motions were passed of which motion 133 (covering motion 134) was unopposed.

Motion 133 – Increasing the role of the Journalist editor

Motion 133 (covering Motion 134), proposed by Press and PR branch, discussed the issues of convergence and the role of the editor of the Journalist (the NUJ Journal). It passed unanimously.

Under current NUJ guidelines the editor only has power to edit articles in the journal and those online which have been taken directly from the journal.

In the motion the ADM instructed the National Executive Council (NEC) to:

• Change the NUJ rules to increase the editor’s role – via a motion at next years’ ADM – to expand his/her responsibilities to editing all Journalistic news pieces on the website
• This will mean that the editor will have additional control over “union and other website pages” involving content taken from, or associated with, the union’s journal
• He/she will not have control over the whole site

In order to make the Journalist more prominent among members.

Leeds branch proposed an amendment to the motion arguing that a clause confirming the role of the editor as an “independent elected editor” – and giving them responsibility for all NUJ website content – would clarify the motion.

Press and PR branch asked conference to reject the amendment made by Leeds branch as gives the editor too much power. The amendment was rejected by a massive majority.

Motion 135 – Concerns over the frequency of the Journalist and lack of co-operation between the journal and the online content

Motion 135 (covering motion 136 to 140) – proposed by North Wales Coast, Manchester, Birmingham and Coventry branches – concerned worries that the ADM has with the communications strategy imposed by the NEC and the cutting of regular Journalist issues.

The motion outlined that the Journalist has been cut to six issues a year and that communications between all sectors of the Union are being damaged by cut-backs and incoherent publishing of online material – which is often not published in concert with the news in the Journalist.

The motion instructs the NEC to:

• Ensure that the website includes a daily link to the Journalist is displayed so users are aware of the journal
• To integrate the editor of the Journalist into the Union’s Campaigns and Communications department to ensure unity

Leeds branch proposed an amendment to the motion saying there should be a further section on the NUJ website specifically for unrelated Journalist matters. This was proposed to prevent a converging mess on the internet.

Peter Lazenby, from Leeds branch, urged that the amendment be passed. He said: “In the current state the Journalist – which is our trade press – is inadequate. We have to sort out the online section with the journal and get members involved. First that means highlighting the independence of the Journalist.”

The amendment was rejected by an overwhelming majority and the motion was passed.

Stephen is also member of the TUC disability campaign and works closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, specifically dealing with learning disabilities and the mentally unwell in relation to prosecution and witnessing.

Like me, Stephen deplores the world vulnerable as a term to describe myself or people like me. He too is a manic depressive. I find the term derogatory, demeaning and patronising – a sentiment echoed by Stephen and the disability council members.

“It is a nightmare which is still ongoing and that the union needs to grasp… real equality is accepting that we all have difficulties and differences.”

Problems with reasonable adjustment

As far as the council is concerned, allowing reasonable adjustment, for any employee with any disability, can lead to victimisation, bullying and harassment of the worst kind.

This must be stamped out. Reasonable adjustments are allowed because they are needed. The added stress of any subsequent harassment or inferior treatment by colleagues, only adds to the frustration felt by me and I am sure many others.

The NUJ has the lowest disability declaration rate of any union. However, it is well documented that journalists suffer more than many other professions from stress-related illnesses. Is it a reflection of attitudes in the industry? I personally believe so and I am personally looking forward to getting involved with the DMC.

A challenge

So then, here is a challenge from Stephen himself. For all you NUJ members out there keeping mental illness a secret: whether a student, employed or freelance: “Stick your heads above the parapets and get involved.”

The fringe meeting, ‘When good bosses go bad & industrial action against progressive employers’, was organised as part of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Annual Delegates Meeting (ADM), in Southport. It is part of a process to build a forum for journalists faced with issues from their organisations.

The NUJ members attending the meeting requested that they all remain anonymous, due to fears their employers might discover their complaints.

Pressure from bosses

The main topic of the meeting was to address pressures from bosses, which sometimes came in the form of bullying.

One delegate explained a situation faced by many journalists. He said: “We are facing lots of issues incluing even bullying from bosses.

“This adds to the problems we have already as to how we are going to carry on. Loads of freelances have gone out of business and it’s very difficult to know what can be done.”

Conflict between companies and their journalists

Part of the meeting focused on the conflicting interests of news organisations and their journalists, and how speaking out about problems can threaten jobs.

One delegate explained how some news organisations enforce their news values to maximise profit.

The delegate, who had to leave due to conflict over a story, said: “What led to my departure was the organisations’ inability to determine news stories from personal stories.

“The worst thing for me is that I want to do what the organisation wants to achieve, but it conflicts with my professional judgements.”

Another delegate explained how bosses have become more demanding over the past few years. The delegate said: “I’ve got a dream job as a journalist. Generally management are quite hands off.

“But when it goes bad it’s really bad. Without any decisions with workers money is spent on other areas.”

The delegate added: “I’m not saying they’re bad people but the values they have are bosses’ values which are above ours and the trade unions concerns.”

Trusts: a better model?

However one delegate expressed satisfaction with how some of the trust-run media deal with complaints. They said: “There is opportunity with trustees to bring up problems as you must report any grievances to the trustees.

“They often do not employ many people so they can often deal with your complaints once communications have started.”

The group exchanged personal details and agreed to meet again soon to discuss possible action.

Dangerous

Meic Birtwistle, National Executive Council member for Wales, told delegates Welsh democracy was suffering as the result of a lack of resources for Welsh journalists and London news outlets turning a blind eye to Wales.

“There is a dangerous situation in Wales,” said Birtwistle.

“Our society pays through the lack of representation, our democracy pays in terms of accountability, our journalists in job cuts but we are fighting back.”

Outpost

And Ken Smith, Chair of NUJ Wales Council, said the London media treated Wales as a colonial outpost.

He told us only the News of the World still maintains a journalist to cover Wales out of all the London papers, which had left parts of Wales as an information desert, and the Big Issue Cymru has moved production to Scotland.

Fightback

But Smith, who has lost his own job as a sub-editor at a regional Welsh newspaper in the last year, was ready to try new ways to resurrect Welsh media and democracy.

“We are looking to form an organic local news network in Wales based on a journalists’ co-operative, much like an actors co-op,” he said.

Smith also said any cooperative would be able to offer NUJ rates of pay and give journalists the environment to flourish without the pressure of a organisation obsessed with delivering profits to shareholders.