Chinese wall

There have been four Chinese journalists in the newsroom for seven years who have been establishing a Chinese-language FT website, which started to make money last year for the first time. The operation was set up in London to have a competitive advantage over websites based in China, because of the censorship. Two of the journalists are UK citizens with their children at school and with mortgages and one has permanent residency rights. Although the four work in the newsroom, they have substantially worse terms and conditions. But until recently the union had not done anything for them – there was an imaginary Chinese wall between us.

However, one of the journalists had joined the union last summer as a result of our campaign over redundancies, a spin-off from which was that we started negotiating on their behalf, and won them sabbaticals like the rest of us (i.e. an extra month’s holiday every four years) and a promise from management to look again at their working hours and pay. On the back of these benefits, the other Chinese journalists joined.

A month ago FT management told the four that they must relocate to Beijing by the end of March (i.e. get them off the books by the new financial year) and accept a 30%-50% pay cut – or take redundancy. They were devastated but we all decided to dig in our heels over the issue.

They had received a lot of encouragement from the 18-strong chapel committee at the FT, which has been built up over several years, plus some experienced activists who had joined the paper.

But the best chapel committee on earth won’t win a battle like this without a strong mood on the ground. The journalists’ response was electric. After we circulated an email to all staff announcing a chapel meeting two days later, we were flooded with messages of support. We had a clear and strong arguments – management appeared to be unaware of considerable problems with their plan, such as a Chinese law that prevents its citizens working as journalists for foreign media outlets.

Chapel meeting

The chapel meeting was big – more than 80 people and the newsroom must have been deserted. We welcomed the Chinese journalists to the chapel, and said we felt that we all shared a certain amount of responsibility for their situation because we’d left them languishing in a corner for so many years. They spoke brilliantly – it’s so much easier to defend people who are up for it. In the ensuing discussion, a trainee journalist said that the deal on offer was so bad that we couldn’t just talk about sweetening it – it had to be withdrawn altogether.

A motion was hurriedly proposed from the floor: “We condemn the outrageous treatment of journalists on FT Chinese. We demand no redundancies on FT Chinese and that the journalists be placed on the same terms and conditions as the rest of FT editorial. It is unconscionable that the FT is sending FT Chinese journalists into harm’s way. We will ballot for industrial action if these demands are not met.”

It was passed unanimously and with spontaneous applause. We went straight from there into a meeting with management. Journalists took it upon themselves to write to senior management and complain. Emails were flying around all over the place.

Stunned

I’m not sure who was the most stunned, the Chinese journalists or the chapel committee. Last year it had taken five weeks of leafleting, a visit from Tony Benn and a “day of action” to build a mandatory meeting of 130 members who voted to ballot for action over redundancies. This time it happened with two emails in three days. Journalists felt that a line had been crossed. The FT has been, and still is, a great place to work, but we are subject to the same pressures that everyone is facing in the industry. If journalists could be treated like this, what was in store for the rest of us further down the line? Also there was an unpleasant smell about it – would a group of four European men be treated in the same way?

All this took place on the eve of the Chinese New Year – the year of the tiger and also half-term school holidays. Over the weekend the tone from management changed; asking us to wait until both holidays were over. One of the Chinese journalists wrote a stunning email to all staff: the message was getting through.

Then we were given the good news – no compulsory moves to China, and negotiations on pay and conditions. Four jobs saved.

Clear cut victory

This is a much more clear cut victory than the one we had over redundancies last year when we agreed to so many voluntaries that people have been overworked ever since. This is a rare total victory – four people’s lives were about to be ruined but chapel unity prevented it from happening.

Also strong union organisation over the years – the FT was an island of it while everywhere else the union was being derecognised – has maintained relatively decent relations between management and staff, although the recession is straining them to the limit.

The outcome stands the chapel in good stead for future upheavals. There’s one problem, though – we have ordered 250 metal badges saying “Hands off FT Chinese!” with a pic of a tiger but no longer any need to wear them. We are proposing to the chapel that one day next week we all wear a badge to celebrate the outcome.

I am very proud to be a member of the FT NUJ chapel.

Here are the topics for the day and details of how to get to the venue.

● Fighting the BNP; establishment of EXPOSE: Media workers have launched a campaign to combat the BNP’s presence in the media. Come and here what we can do.

● Campaigning around Press Association: PA runs news factories and supplies copy to bosses on striking papers, undermining action. How can we help PA staff organise.

● Building a network of activists: Organising NUJ activists for taking effective action and supporting the struggles of other workers.

● Defending democracy in the union: The NUJ’s democracy has been eroded over the past few years. We want to reverse that and put members back in control.

● Where we stand: What should the aims of the NUJ Left be in the union?

Saturday 6 March, 12-4pm

St Aloysius Social Club,

20 Phoenix Road, NW1 1TA

(5 minutes from Euston Station)

Cost: NUJ Left subs (£1 per month) must be paid to the end of August 2010 to participate. A pooled fare system will operate so everyone pays the same travel costs

More here

The Scott Trust claims that Trinity Mirror is best placed to develop regional and local newspapers – ignoring the fact that Trinity axed 44 titles and 1600 jobs last year. More closures and job losses are in the offing around the country as Trinity make huge losses.

The recession is leading to even greater concentration of media ownership with a handful of multinationals owning the vast majority of UK  newspapers and websites.

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ deputy general secretary, warned over fears to “editorial independence” which should concern government,  local communities and the media industry.

Lawrence Shaw, NUJ assistant organiser in the North West and Midlands, said: “Public services such as local papers are becoming ever more distant from the communities they serve.”

He was concerned over the sale and whether Trinity would just use the takeover to make quick profits, he said. “If you want a product that people want, you’ve got to invest in it…Manchester has a need for a daily newspaper, so there is absolutely a commercially viable product there.”

The NUJ Left believes that the media owners should be investing far more into newspapers and that there needs to be a serious debate over different forms of ownership such as co-operatives, not for profits,  social firms, and nationalisation under local control.

Launch meeting 
Tuesday 23 Feb, 7pm
Amnesty International Human Rights Action Centre
17-25 New Inn Yard
Shoreditch, EC2A 3EA

Speakers
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, columnist and broadcaster
Mehdi Hasan, senior editor (politics), New Statesman
Peter Hain, secretary of state for Wales
Michelle Stanistreet, deputy general secretary, National Union of Journalists
Gerry Morrissey, general secretary, Bectu, the media and entertainment union (invited)
Weyman Bennett, joint secretary, Unite Against Fascism

Further information about Expose and the launch meeting,
email: exposethebnp@gmail.com,
website: www.exposethebnp.com,
Facebook: http://groups.to/expose/

There is also the importance of safety for journalists reporting from conflict zones. Health and safety issues are also one of the main reasons why people join trade unions. A well organised union with safety reps can help reduce injuries at work.

That is why trade unionists should consider becoming health and safety reps. The NUJ has produced this web page that has links to material about health and safety at work and how to become an effective rep on the issue.

In Scotland, Trinity’s Daily Record & Sunday Mail chapel has unanimously agreed a pay deal of 2 per cent minimum increase, with larger increases for 40 members to address salary anomalies. This comes after NUJ members fought a bitter dispute on the two titles over compulsory redundancies last year.

Staff at the Nottingham Evening Post have fought off an attempt to get rid of the independent editorial board – helped by Lord Mandelson. More here

Editorial staff at a Cumbrian weekly newspaper have taken the first step towards collective negotiations with management by gaining NUJ  recognition. Read about here

While in Birmingham, NUJ members are talking to management about proposed cuts to sub editors. The talks come after NUJ members voted in favour of industrial action to defend jobs and quality on the Birmingham Post and Mail. More here

Story here

This week legal advisers at the Foreign Office said they believed the war to be illegal but their advice was ignored. Friday is the day when Tony Blair gives evidence.

The Stop the War coalition is having a London wide public meeting Wednesday night and organising activities both Thursday, Brown’s Afghanistan war conference. and Friday morning, when Blair will be turning up to give evidence at the Chilcott Inquiry. Here are the details

1. STOP THE WAR/CND PUBLIC MEETING

FROM IRAQ TO AFGHANISTAN: WHY WE SHOULD GET OUT

With Tony Benn, Seumas Milne (The Guardian), George Galloway MP, a speaker from
the German anti-war movement, Kate Hudson (CND), Lindsey German (Stop the War)

Wednesday Jan 27

7pm

Camden Centre
Bidborough Street
London WC1H 9DB
(nearest tube: Kings Cross)

2. BLOCKADE BROWN’S AFGHANISTAN WAR CONFERENCE

THURSDAY 28 JANUARY

From 8.30 am

Lancaster House
Stable Yard, St James’s
London SW1A 1BB
(nearest tube: Green Park, St James’s Park)
Map: http://tinyurl.com/ykc4smn

Called by Stop the War and CND

More details: http://bit.ly/7kOWmZ

3. THE PEOPLE’S VOICE ON BLAIR’S JUDGEMENT DAY

FRIDAY 29 JANUARY

From 8am Stop the war is calling a day of protest outside the Iraq Inquiry on
the day Tony Blair appears.

QE2 Conference Centre
Broad Sanctuary
Westminster SW1P 3EE
(opposite parliament – nearest tube: Westminster)

The NUJ left voted to affiliate to the STW coaliton in its last meeting in October.