02 Informed


Michelle’s Message


Why more members are needed to stay a strong, fighting union


“As general secretary it is my job to prioritise resources on the things that make a difference to the support, representation and services our members need and deserve”


With the temperature cranking up on a daily basis, you’d hope that employers would give themselves and their staff a bit of a break from the industrial cut and thrust – but it’s as busy as ever at the NUJ at the moment. As can be seen from reports to the recent NEC, there are pay negotiations, disputes being mounted and resolved, deals being clinched, submissions being made, and daily interventions aplenty – all testament to the breadth and depth of the union’s work on behalf of its members. Te need for a robust and principled voice standing up for journalists and journalism is arguably


greater today than at any time in our history. Tat’s reason enough for us to be constantly seeking out ways to grow our numbers and boost our collective strength. More members translates as stronger workplaces and stronger voices to deploy on our collective behalf. Despite the challenges of a contracting industry in some sectors, increasing casualisation and wave aſter wave of job cuts, we’ve managed to sustain membership levels at around 30,000 in recent years – no mean feat. Tat we’ve managed to remain an independent union since our inception in 1907 is an even greater achievement – against a backdrop of trade union consolidation that in some way reflects that in our own industry, with periodic mergers scooping up other craſt unions whilst the NUJ batles on. As general secretary I have been


motivated by a “long may this continue” approach to our political and therefore financial independence. Tat’s how we got through the challenges of tackling our financial problems, puting a Recovery plan in place and delivering its commitments, renovating our head office and sole asset Headland House, a move solidified in its enhanced value and ability to earn income through the leting of floors and meeting room space. Our subscription income, however, is what allows us to function, what drives our core expenditure – the largest chunks of which are legal services, our offices and of course our staff. A basic responsibility as general secretary is to ensure we can wash our own face – prioritising resources on the things that make a difference to the support, representation


and services our members need and deserve.


So it is frustrating to come away from our delegate meeting in April with that ability impaired, aſter not securing the two-thirds majority vote needed to agree a subscription increase. It was a modest rise, but collectively would have amounted to almost £400,000 over the next two years until the next delegate meeting. Without it, come DM in 2020 we’ll have had no increase to subs for 6 years, during which time even if membership levels remain static our income will have effectively been cut year on year. Failing to secure that means no prospect of an increase in subs until late in 2020 – if such an increase is agreed by delegates to that conference. It also means once again having to sit with the three staff unions the NUJ negotiates, having discussions on the potential impact on current resources, pay and future staffing. My starting point is that we’re not in a crisis, it’ll be a challenging year ahead but we’ll get through it. Our main priority is to follow through on the various commitments made by delegates at DM in April – notably the need to recruit new members and raise our income levels through that effort. To get through the next financial year and face the one ahead without seeing any further impact on our staffing levels and quality of our services means we have a sizeable job on our hands – collectively we need to recruit 2,000 new members on top of normal recruitment in that period. To achieve that we need all parts of the union to rise to that challenge. All councils and commitees will be expected to prioritise recruitment in


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