Scottish Organiser's blog

What a week. What a month. What a job.

2011-07-30T04:10:00.000-07:00

It can't be good for anyone to experience the swing in emotions that I have gone through this week. On the other hand it does confirm the fact that I may have been subjected to that old Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times".

To be fair some of the issues which have made my blood boil have been personal and family orientated, however sticking to work I can honestly say it has been an emotional trampoline. While trying to save the job of a new member at the BBC I received a message that our campaign to stop the deportation of a brave young journalist back to his Gambian homeland had paid dividends. Alieu Cissay had been targeted by no less than the Gambian Justice minister who named the campaigning NUJ member as someone they would "keep a warm welcome reserved for traitors" and similar threats. Along with his wonderful wife and baby son, Alieu is now free to stay in Scotland for another five years under Asylum status and I was overcome with relief, delight and pride in the input of the NUJ in this victory for human rights and journalism.
Unfortunately BBC management decided they wanted rid of my member and sacked him, which was particularly upsetting for the guy and something that left a horrible feeling in my stomach as I am not sure justice has been done and an appeal will be submitted.
Things deteriorated somewhat and as the week progressed it became apparent that the many calls for Trinity Mirror management to stop the planned compulsory redundancies had fallen on deaf ears. Although we had some success in saving a host of jobs and deferring a number of redundancies it was a very sad occasion at Friday's chapel meeting as around 50 people were clapped out of the Record building. Many of these talented journalists had given between 10 and 47 years service, providing images, copy, design and commitment to the titles at Central Quay, helping the company make massive profits, only for the fat cats on the Trinity board to mis-manage and dis-invest in the products. My thoughts and well wishes go with all those now searching for a new future.
Despite the setbacks and upsets the fight goes on for the individual journalists and for the future of the Scottish Press as our interesting times continue at pace.

When is a negotiation not a negotiation?

2011-06-25T06:32:00.000-07:00

After two weeks of negotiations with Daily Record & Sunday Mail MD Mark Hollinshead and his team, I needed a rest. My condition was probably exacerbated having had to cancel my flight to Spain an hour before take off with the announcement of the 93 jobs cut.
However at the end of the fortnight at a mass meeting of members in Central Quay I felt we were on the brink of a deal that might have been described as historic.
Both parties had sought a negotiated settlement on what was an ambitious restructuring with large scale job cuts affecting around 40% of editorial staff.
The initial terms on offer were enhanced, certainly better than statutory but nowhere near enough to attract the level of volunteers required. As talks continued we put forward constructive proposals which targeted those most at risk or likely to take the VR package.
Improvements included aggregating part time and full time service for current part time staff, totalling the full time and part time history for calculating redundancy pay.
A number of members had argued they had worked for the company on a casual basis prior to going onto staff and the company appeared to be prepared to add those years into the pot.
We continued to push for an additional sum to round off what we wanted to be seen as a recipe for setting the best voluntary deal possible.
I started to think about getting back on the holiday trail. The best laid plans can go astray and by Monday morning I had learned that the Trinity board of directors had refused to allow their MD to negotiate a deal with NUJ Scotland.
I was told that local talks could not change their central policies and because there were redundancies planned for a variety of Trinity regional offices then we would not be allowed to set a precedent of better terms.
I suggested we could hold national talks, but Trinity's policy was that they do not hold national negotiations. I proposed to Mark that we could call them local talks with a view of reaching an agreement which would not set precedent. Sounds reasonable, I thought, but was then informed the Trinity board were not inclined to hold any talks which might lead to them having to give staff more compensation before they lose their jobs.
There is no doubt this stupidity is poor industrial relations and could cost Trinity more in the long term through legal and industrial action.
There is no logic in any of their behaviour, except their obesession with co-ercion.
Local negotiations have been disabled and national talks rejected, seriously damaging the credibility of senior management to strike a deal and undermining the attempts to maximise the number of volunteers.
It is bad management and poor judgement by "Fat Cats" who regularly reward themselves handsomely for managing the downward spiral of decline. We need to stop this madness unless we are all prepared to see a fast-tracked end to quality newspapers in this country.

Sensitive to criticism

2011-06-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

In this week of bombshell size surprises, I am surprised that certain media bosses are surprised at being criticised in a wide range of media about their behaviour in the industrial relations field. Mirror Group management were apparently upset at STV interviewing me on screen for the six o clock news after their announcement of 90 job cuts at The Record and Sunday Mail and outsourcing work to England. They were probably less upset with BBC Scotland only doing a piece on DriveTime with little or nothing on Reporting Scotland or Newsnight Scotland, but maybe there is an old pals act in place there - time will tell. I was then criticised on Facebook by a freelance member for failing to get blood out of a stone that is Johnston Press and had to say I wasn't too happy and responded accordingly. I was then criticised by STV management for daring to put a tweet onto the NUJ web site highlighting a little difficulty we are having with poor communication from managers. For a communication industry we really do have problems with communicating in more ways than one.

Facebook difficulties.

2011-02-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

I would never dream of going on a personal social web site in normal working hours, Too busy by far and my daily social networking is restricted to meeting the odd FOC or member in a bar or cafe somewhere in Scotland. More than often it is in the workplace canteen like the BBC, Daily Record or Scotsman. However we now have our own NUJ facebook and web page fed by twitter and that has been quite successful in getting news out to members as quickly as possible. However there are plenty of people putting personal stuff up during the day, probably using company equipment. I know this because there is a growing demand for officials to advise and represent members facing diciplinary action for something they have done on facebook. Either using company time and equipment captured by the watchful eyes of IT or even abusing colleagues or clients.

It is a potential minefield and people have to be aware they are being monitored and may get caught, so spare us the wasted time and your embarassment by being careful.

Grievances a challenge for management.

2011-01-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

There is a growing demand for our union officials to submit grievances on behalf of members. The issues are usually related to mismanagement which might include bullying or victimisation. Some of these cases end up in the courts particularly where discrimination is part of the problem. The stupid thing is that almost of all of them can be avoided in the first place or sorted out at an early stage with a sensible response from the managers involved.

In some companies however there appears to be an obstinate reluctance to settle in favour of the employee. For example the NUJ has taken nearly 20 grievances against Newsquest management in the last few years and i can't recall one which was upheld. The Daily Record & Sunday Mail is a similar story with a number ending up costing these companies an arm and leg in legal costs and settlements. Is it ego or power? Who can say but surely the beancounters must be asking questions about these costs.

In some ways it keeps the union in good stead as the publicity and credit does wonders for our reputation and recruitment or retention. But is it neccessary to put people through the mill, damaging their well-being just because some people can't manage for toffee? Give us some common sense and humanity and do us all a favour - particularly your pockets.

Human rights.

2011-01-14T12:37:00.000-08:00

Journalism is a human rights issue and will be the focus of NUJ Scotland's campaign work this year. We are savouring the sweet taste of success only weeks into 2011 and are already fighting on various fronts. Our first victory was for investigative journalism and against censorship and opression.

That might sound grand - nevertheless it is true. Film making journalists Anthony Baxter and Richard Phinney of Montrose Pictures were arrested and charged with breach of the peace by Grampian Police. They only appeared to be breaching the peace of Donald Trump's lackeys, by asking (very politely) when they were going to repair the water supply to their neighbours, the local residents who live close to the super-duper golf development. While building a new road over a local well, a Trump digger drove it's shovel into the clay pipe supplying water to the adjacent farms and houses stopping the flow of H2O for over a week.

I watched the film rushes this week and was shocked at the actions of Aberdeen's boys in blue as they huckled the hacks into handcuffs and removed the camera equipment, mid-interview in the garden of a thirsty local woman just wanting to flush her loo.

As NUJ National Organiser I do try and support our members and wrote to the police complaints office seeking assurances that the Northern bobbies are not employed solely to stop bona fide journalists from holding the likes of Donald Trump and his diggers to account. The charges were dropped eventually and records of fingerprint and DNA were apparently expunged. A correct decision but the intimidatory nature of the police action is something that requires a close-watching.

I have had to intervene on behalf of two other NUJ members who also face a threat to their freedom and health for exposing "the great and the good". These guys have written critical articles about their respective government ministers and are not flavour of the month in their countries of birth.

Charles Atangana is facing deportation to Cameroon, where he has already faced arrest and torture. His fellow Glasgow branch member Alieu Ceesay was targeted this week by the Gambian Justice Minister who made threatening noises about "evil" exiles campaigning against human rights abuses in the African state. Both men have also been targeted by the UK Borders Agency and are fighting with the support of the NUJ against deportation.

A free night of music, film and craic under the title Journalism is a human right, has been organised for Tuesday January 18th from 7.30pm to 11pm in the CCA in Sauchiehall Street. This is one of a number of events planned for this year to raise awareness of this issue, watch this space and look out for the Trump film in the spring.

It's Friday. Its Newsquest. It must be bad news.

2010-11-19T10:09:00.000-08:00

It could have been worse I suppose. Only 10 jobs going across the three titles. There are difficulties though. There really aren't enough journalists working in Renfield Street as it is. So increased problems for those remaining-no doubt about that. For those desperate to leave or volunteer then we have the not insignificant obstacle of the company appearing to offer only statutory redundancy terms. There could be trouble ahead (as the song goes). On the back of a two year pay freeze, a savage assault on the final salary pension scheme and continued reluctance to offer decent terms to and work to freelances then it is not a happy ship - but hey - not yet the Mary Celeste or Titanic.

sickies they make me sick

2010-11-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

Duty of care is a great phrase. It is actually used extensively in legal claims and is definitely put to regular use by trade union officials trying to protect their members. It is pretty straightforward and I would have thought easy to understand. Even the concept can surely be grasped without too much difficulty. You are the management. This is the employee. You have a duty of care towards them. There, it's simple.

In these days of diminishing numbers in newsrooms, multi-tasking, extra responsibilities without extra pay, longer hours, less breaks, concern as to the future of our industry and jobs then stress levels grow. Not just an increase in pressure which some bosses think is acceptable but damaging stress, which destroys people mentally and physically.

The NUJ has set up counselling in Glasgow for hard-pressed members and mangements have introduced absence management policies. Some response from those with a duty of care.

Pensions and Pensioners

2010-08-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

I was at another bloody funeral last week. My old mate and general good guy (for an editor) Joe Kelly passed away after a long hard struggle with cancer. He smoked and drank in the traditional mode and managed people in a way we would all like to be bossed. He never reached pensionable age (is it still 65?) and that is sad. However there are many journalists who will reach a time when they can access their pension, but what will be left for them to pick up?

The BBC have launched a vicious attack on their staff final salary scheme, not just future benefits but past savings too. The NUJ and sister unions are balloting for industrial action and a massive result is expected in favour of a strike option.

Newsquest UK could face the same threat after their decision to renege on past promises to support their FS pension scheme. They announced the bombshell last thing Friday afternoon. A popular time for them, as they did the same with the redundancy terms cut last month. Must be something about letting their staff leave the building with a smile on a Friday. I can feel a new logo coming here from beleagured Newsquest staff "Thank God it's not Friday".

Of that age...

2010-06-30T05:22:00.001-07:00

Age is a serious issue for me these days.

Dealing with ageism against women broadcasters who just happen to have passed the 45 year mark;

coping with the ageing process of my own body and mind, battered by stressors of this great job;

watching grandchildren appear among extended family and friends;

and hearing of the death of another friend or colleague.

All of these things remind me that we only have a limited time on this world (unless there is some truth in stories about re-incarnation). So I constantly wonder and ask why don't we, as a society live and behave in a manner designed to creat less havoc, stress and pain to each other. I know - very philosophical today. The current capitalist crisis and the chosen way of responding to it, is going to be the cause of much grief with jobs and services being reduced affecting millions of people.

The NUJ Scottish Executive were criticised by some members last week for getting involved in a street rally to complain and campaign against the coalition proffered solutions. I can understand journalists who are concerned about impartiality and objectivity being affected by this political stance. However we are a trade union and it is our duty to seek and argue for alternatives to job cuts and worsening pay and conditions impacting on the living wage. It doesn't mean all NUJ members are against the coalition or for another political road to salvation. It does mean that democracy and accountability are alive and kicking. One - for the union to get involved and two - for members to complain.

In Cameroon and too many other places around the world, journalists can do neither. Indeed my friend Charles Atangana an NUJ member seeking asylum in this country is such a journalist. Arrested, stripped and beaten for daring to write critical articles against the corruption of his government. He moved to Scotland six years ago, seeking sanctuary from his torturers. Earlier this month he joined me on stage at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow presenting awards to journalists at an Oxfam/NUJ sponsored event. Ironically he was a judge and presenter of the broadcast awards to Radio Clyde and STV, both pieces were thoughtful snatches of journalism on the issues facing refugees and asylum seekers. He was arrested a week later by immigration police and shipped down to detention centres in England with no notice and faced immediate deportation to Cameroon and almost certain violence and death.

Fortunately his lawyers were able to prevent the deportation, but the campaign for Charles to get full asylum status is now in full gear. The NUJ, Refugee Council, Oxfam, Parkhead Citizens Advice Bureau where he worked as a voluntary adviser, are all gearing up to show that he is a worthy and essential case for asylum and sanctuary. As a journalist who held his government to account we should all empathise with his plight and demand that this country behave in a civilised manner. They should abide by Article 3 of the EHCR and fight against torture (particularly of journalists) and allow Charles to stay here in safety and then let him work as a journalist to earn his pay and keep on challenging the powers that be.

Maybe his life was saved by the action this week, which goes to show it serves us well never to give up the good fight. Another friend of mine had less chance to fight last week. I had known Rab Soutar for around 32 years. He was an FoC in the old print unions and worked as a skilled print artisan in Govan Press, the Jewish Chronicle and Greenock Telegraph, he had been paid off a few times and was working in the BBC in a non-skilled position. Rab was found dead in a side room in Pacific Quay after a massive heart attack, he was the same age as me. I will miss him every time I go through those doors and remember how he fought the good fight and keep in mind the vulnerability of age.

Jings crivens, help ma boab!

2010-06-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

As if things weren't bad enough for us beleagured union officials, DC Thomson have turned over a new leaf. Unfortunately what we see is not good, their new side is worse than their old side, in fact it is a nightmare scenario for all their staff.

Not satisfied with closing their print plant in Guthrie Street, Dundee with the loss of around 350 jobs, they are MODERNISING editorial departments across all titles. In recent years we have seen many newspapers and brodcasters seek "efficiencies" through new technology and new contractual terms and now DC Thomsons are jumping on the bandwagon. However they have to remember it is a very big jump from the 19th to the 21st century.

Only last year I was singing their praises (admittedly through gritted teeth) at the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster, who were looking into the Scottish newspaper crisis. Labour's Jim McGovern and SNP MP Pete Wishart asked me what DCT were like as employers, compared to everyone else. Reluctantly I had to say they were different, while not exactly known for being union friendly, I concurred that we didn't have many problems with them, unlike everyone else over the last 20 years.

However all good things come to an end and even before the arrival of much-beloved Donald Martin as new editor of the Sunday Post, we were finding ourselves camped out in Dundee.

I like Dundee, the weather is usually good. For example the very first time I (or any other NUJ official-ever) was called on to represent a member in a disciplinary/capability type of meeting, there was a blizzard across the central belt. Glasgow was snow-bound, the road between Cumbernauld and Falkirk blocked by two-jackknifed lorries and the diversion was through the icy backroads of Fife. However-there was no way I was going to miss this historic occasion and despite one or two mis-haps and strandings on the ice and snow, I arrived (in a sunny Dundee, with no snow) about an hour late.

Yes you guessed it- they had started without me. Nevertheless I was there, allowed into the building no bother and ushered into an office for the remainder of the hearing. Since that day I have spent a lot of time in and around Dundee, meeting members and potential members who are facing up to imposed changes in their terms and conditions. Longer hours, pay cuts or salary freezes, disgraceful changes in their sick pay entitlement and other new policies designed to make savings and boost profits.

No-one I have spoken to is surprised at the move to modernise, but most are shocked and angry at the way they are being forced through. Many loyal staff members are disgusted at the Thomson family standing back and letting the new management run ragged over their rights. There is a threat to jobs too with redundancies planned as further restructuring takes place to suit the master plan. The NUJ has been recruiting and will be seeking recognition eventually. In the meantime we will continue to offer advice and support individual members in challenging the cuts.

That's our job and we are doing it across the industry, the inclusion of DCThomson into the fray just means we have another badly advised employer to deal with and our industrial, legal and political strategy is once again having to be employed full-time to protect our members and those vulnerable workers in our industry.

New technology and efficiencies...

2010-04-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

I have two specific meetings next week to discuss new technology and the alleged efficiencies it brings. One is with a company who introduced the "super-duper" "all-singing, all-dancing" system that was supposed to reduce the need for sub-editors and help produce papers in a fast-track way.
I don't like saying this over and over again, but we did warn them that it wouldn't quite be like that.

It is a bit of a shambles and along with ill-thought through restructuring changes, introduced before the system bedded in, then you can imagine things are not too good and staff are completely pissed off and demoralised.

At my second meeting I will try and relay this information in an effort to help avoid similar events and hopefully that message will be taken on board and all the mistakes made elsewhere won't be repeated.

If they are repeated then we will see less staff trying to cope with flawed production systems and the ensuing reduction in quality of the papers and sky high stress levels among NUJ members in particular. It is astonishing that so many newspaper publishers can make the same mistakes along the way to introducing new technology.

They believe what the software salespeople tell them, they ignore the union advice, they make redundancies and cut casual shifts and they do not provide sufficient cover for training or in some cases inadequate training. They then struggle to meet deadlines and maintain quality and wonder why the efficiencies are making things extremely inefficient.

Scottish affairs part two....

2009-08-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

A previous blog highlighted my trip to Westminster to give evidence to the Scottish Affairs Committee. Well the final report has been produced and by and large the MPs have captured the concerns about the current poor state of affairs in our industry.

It gets off to a good start with the title "Crisis in the Scottish Press Industry", although I have been searching for a word a bit stronger than crisis. This near as dammit verbatim inquiry should be bed-time reading for everyone working in Scottish newspapers and a must for media/journalist students looking to join the sinking ship.

Taking evidence from the union (NUJ and STUC) side, practising media academics and the employers in the form of managing directors (Blott. Hollinshead, Johnston), an editor (John McLellan) and the influential Jim Raeburn, director of the Scottish Daily Newspaper Society the report makes interesting reading.

No honestly.

Well I thought so anyway.

Even if you just look at the conclusions...

To be fair the MPs (well most of them) appear to have grasped the serious situation and the select committee report warns of the risks to the future of the Scottish Press industry. It says that restructuring and stress in the workplace risks diminishing the quality and independence of the press and calls on managements of all Scottish newspaper groups should take cognisance of the NUJ stress audits and respond with an action plan.

Highlighting the strategy of restructuring by merging titles as "often at great cost to staff" the committee chair Mohammed Sarwar MP said:"...the evidence my committee has heard during this inquiry has raised significant questions and we urge the Scottish and UK governments to do everything in their power to safeguard the future of the industry."

While much of the report covers important issues of competition and falling revenues there are also a number of little gems hidden within. For example an English Tory MP who had been drafted onto the committee for lack of Scottish Conservative honourable members, fed the management team a nice little Thatcherite starter for ten. He suggested they might want to whinge about spending money and time jumping through employment law hoops, hindering them in their search for bigger profits. He sympathised with them for having to pay redundancy deals and stick to notice periods and other such obstacles and barriers to running an efficient business. Unfortunately Tim Blott couldn't resist agreeing totally with the eejit, while to his great credit Michael Johnston disagreed and argued the merits of working with the unions.

This little segment provides us with an insight of what is in store if the Tories get back into power.

Check it out, it is worth a quick read just to imagine the discomfort of certain individuals under scrutiny. It is a pity they never took Donald Martin with them, just to raise our entertainment value.

Scottish affairs...

2009-08-07T05:41:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the delay in posting this blog but our site has been under cyberattack for sometime with lots of viruses being sent by some eejit trying to stop our messages of wisdom to the mediaworld.

Since the last posting our team at Union Chambers have been a bit busy. The weather has picked up over the last month but we spent some considerable time trying to keep warm and looking positively on the noise pollution caused by excessive horn honking in support of NUJ pickets along Central Quay.

The dispute was settled with some success although a number of chapel members confused officials with their choice of certain terminology with comments including "capitulation" being bandied about. This was used in connection with negotiations which delivered production staff improved conditions of a four-day week averaging 35 hours. Yes, people are not happy at the seven day operation and the changes are disruptive, particularly having to work the odd Saturday is a pain, however things would have been much worse if we hadn't taken action.

We also saved a stack of jobs, with some popular individuals returning to work after being selected for compulsory redundancy. We now need to monitor the new structure and ensure conditions are acceptable, that starts with holding them to the return to work agreement which is already fraying around the edges, specifically in relation to freelance cover.

2009-04-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

Every week seems to get busier. Let me re-phrase that. Every day seems to get busier. As the industry wide crisis (or panic as it is known in our office) grows, meetings, days and weeks run into each other.

We have rushed headlong into April amid pay freezes, redundancies, rumours of closures and takeovers. As we all know of course, times flies when you are enjoying yourself. You would need to be a masochist to be enjoying this particular mess and it is official - things are getting worse and will amost certainly deteriorate in the coming months.

I travelled by train to London on Tuesday with Stephen Boyd from the STUC. We were giving evidence (or a variety of opinion and fact) to the Scottish Affairs Committee on the Crisis Facing the Scottish Newspaper Industry. Other speakers included Neil Blain and Martin Boyle two expert/academics whose opinions appeared to be far more succinct and theoretical than mine and Stephen as we tried to deal with the economic and industrial element of the crisis. Additional opinions will be sought from Mark Hollinshead, John McLelland and Donald Martin -watch it live on the internet, the address is available somewhere on our site.

surgery required

2009-03-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

Still in a state of euphoria from the night before (Liverpool 4 Real Madrid 0) I was fully prepared to be brought back down to earth on Wednesday morning. After all, I had helped organise an all-day surgery for NUJ members working at Newsquest's Madhouse.

Basing ourselves in the delightful Montmartre (a suite in the Holiday Inn, West Nile Street unfortunately) Jim McNally and I were delighted to see a couple of members waiting patiently for us at 9.05am. That was the start and it never stopped or even slowed down until 6.15pm. I never had the chance until after 5pm to even mention the game from the night before.

It was an education even for two old hands like me and Jim. A salutory education even, as individuals and groups of journalists and photographers joined the ongoing discussions on their nice new contracts. I never recognised any content providers or noticed any multi-media wallahs in the room all through the proceedings.

One thing we could agree on was the whole situation was exciting, very exciting. What was most exciting was the range of possible legal action that was available to the union to pursue on behalf of the excited members.

capital day

2009-01-28T10:56:00.000-08:00

Travelling by early train through to the capital (Edinburgh) is always a bit of a media event. Journalists from most of the big media players join at Queen Street station and exit at Waverley, making their way up to the parliament building (by the lowest incline of course). Normally I will be going to Barclay House or to a meeting with one or two of our many political friends and it gives me a chance to spill the beans about the latest development at one or another of our main employers. No prizes for guessing which is current favourite for the chat.

Along with STUC officer Stephen Boyd and officials from Equity and Musicians Union, I met with Culture Minister Linda Fabiani and her team this week. She asked me a few times (tongue in cheek) couldn't I do something about my members and their reluctance to report on some of the recent good or interesting news. However most of our discussion surrounded the future of broadcasting in Scotland and it was gratifying to see how much progress this issue has made on the Scottish political agenda.

Trying to engage with the last regime was difficult at the best of times, but mention broadcasting and they ran a mile, in one case to vote on female circumcision - honestly.

However following the Broadcast Commission there is lots of interest being shown by politicos in Westminster and Holyrood on what is happening at BBC Scotland and STV among others.

They should be aware that there could be trouble at mill and I mean at Pacific Quay not Pebble Mill. Jobs are being threatened at BBC Scotland and the threat includes compulsory redundancies, not something the joint unions are too keen on. Talks in London, aimed at mediation, broke down today and it looks as though a ballot is on the cards.

It is crazy as both sides know that there is money available to create new jobs, which had been earmarked for BBC Local, and it could easily be accessed with some swift movement by the BBC Trust Scottish contingent. We also need similar swift movement from BBC hierarchy in delivering more network programmes and commissions to Scotland, they appear to be stretching it to 2016 and that is just not on.

Political support for the Scottish media is essential and I welcome the setting up of another initiative by Secretary of State Jim Murphy MP on broadcasting. Hopefully he will invite ALL interested parties who are keen to help move things in a positive direction and have a word in the shell-like of BBC management at the same time.

Interesting People

2009-01-27T04:40:00.000-08:00

One of the perks of the job as Scottish Organiser is varied travel and meeting interesting people. In my case I get to meet various people and have very interesting travel experiences.

A number of those experiences involved air travel, so I tend to go by rail and car these days. Unfortunately the incidents don’t seem to have diminished.

Many of the people I meet these days are employers, some of them more interesting than others. Some bring much entertainment to my life - as well as value added stress.

On Friday I got up at 5am and drove to BBC Scotland to have a chat with Gary Robertson on Good Morning Scotland. He wanted me to tell the Scottish commuters and breakfasters about the madness of dealing with Newsquest.

One of those commuters was our lawyer Amanda Jones who was entertained (again) at the latest wacky news from Renfield Street, providing her with even more food for thought towards her overall legal opinion.

Graham Morrison is an interesting man and he had some things worthy of note to speak about later that morning. He is MD at Clyde & Forth and makes every effort to engage with the union, he nearly always pre-consults before coming to negotiate. I believe there will be some pain at their papers from darkest Ayrshire across to the kingdom of Fife but it will be done with maximum consultation and minimum job losses. Something I seek from every meeting these days.

Two new chapel committees were voted in later that day around the NUJ boardroom table. S&UN-Trinity and Johnston Press group chapels have new officer structures to help build the union strength. They will be needed as they discussed the latest thoughts and strategies of their “talented and imaginative” employers. Indeed it was noted that Tim Bowdler once of JP, was being recognised for his unique services to the newspaper industry. One observant FoC said he was certainly not unique, there are others who have caused similar levels of damage in recent years.

Travel was looming and as I boarded the train to London, my hope was to get some sleep before meeting my fellow officials at Kings Cross, prior to the Saturday jobs summit.

I was woken up by a loud announcement as the train guard informed us that an incident on the tracks meant everyone would have to get off at Preston. After some confusion as to where the buses were situated we set off to Wigan in the rain. It took nearly an hour from start to finish and of course all trains north and southbound were delayed. Temporary solution was to sample the delights of a local hostelry frequented by Wigan’s chosen few.
Back at the station platform delays south, like the travellers, were excessive. Estimated time of arrival in Euston was early hours depending on lots of things. I would have been up at 8am to speak at the NUJ jobs summit, however there was a train on platform 5 heading to Glasgow. After making my way back and forth twice between both platforms I realised it was a no-brainer and headed back north.

Welcome to the Paul Holleran blog site

2009-01-22T08:38:00.001-08:00

I intend writing a diary type piece as often as is possible to keep members posted as to the varied and entertaining working life we live as NUJ officials.