06 Informed


News Update


Trinity Mirror announce 78 job cuts


All white, not right


Te NUJ slammed the news that Channel 4 has an entirely white and predominately male oversight board. Tree of 13 board members at Channel 4 are women and all are white executives. Te union’s long-standing policy is to promote diversity at all levels of the media industry. Te NUJ is campaigning to achieve a media industry that does not discriminate against people based on their gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality and disability. Te


appointment of a whites-only board at Channel 4 shows just how far we still have to go in the fight for fairness, equality and diversity. Te union has called on the culture and media secretary Karen Bradley MP and Ofcom to rectify this reckless decision. Te general secretary, alongside counterparts in the Federation of Entertainment Unions, will be raising this issue at a meeting with Ofcom in February.


Trinity Mirror has made announcements concerning its regional weekly and daily titles, with 78 jobs to go and 44 new roles, including 17 video journalists and producer roles, to be created. Te NUJ is working hard to minimise the cuts, pushing to ensure redundancies are voluntary and pressing for enhanced redundancy terms. Te union is also calling for the redeployment of staff into the new roles, training and fair, sustainable workloads for remaining staff. Tese proposals are a massive blow to journalists who need to be convinced that the new strategy for chasing digital growth is one that will actually yield results and – critically – one that will preserve quality local journalism. NUJ officials and reps are mapping the details, identifying the impact geographically, and reaching out to non-union members working at Local World sites. Any journalist affected can email: publishing@nuj.org.uk


Step closer to beter freelance rights


Te NUJ’s 17 year-long campaign in Ireland for improved rights for freelance journalists has achieved a significant victory and cross- party political support, taking a step closer to restoring the rights of freelance workers to be collectively represented on pay and conditions by a trade union. NEC member Barry McCall called it an


“astonishing achievement” as senators supported amendments tabled by the minister for jobs, enterprise and innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor,


Bernie Ni Fhlatharta, Kieran Fagan, Ronan Brady, Gerry Carson, Ian McGuinness, Senator Ivana Bacik, Jim Aughney, Gerry Curran, Mary Maher, Gerard Cunningham.


and accepted by the sponsor of the Competition (Amendment) Bill, senator Ivana Bacik. Te bill exempts some workers and unions from existing law that seeks to control price fixing. Te former Competition Authority,


now the Consumer Protection and Competition Commission, has interpreted trade union bargaining and the publishing of minimum freelance rates as a form of price fixing. Te bill will now go to the Dáil Éireann, where it is expected to receive further support.


Maxwells Photography


Martin Hughes-Jones / Alamy Stock Photo


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