02 Informed


Michelle’s Message


Our virtual DM went smoothly as delegates leſt Zoom with at least some of the usual post-conference feel-good vibe, and – finally – the sun has returned aſter what feels like months of cold and rain. Te meteorological outlook isn’t the only cause for


budding optimism...


At the end of last week, the government’s Statistical Bulletin revealed that overall UK trade union membership increased in 2020 by 118,000, with the proportion of the workforce in unions also on the up. Tis is the fourth year in a row that overall trade union membership has climbed. Te NUJ’s contribution to this total may be modest – but the 1,052 full-member upliſt over the most recent six-monthly counting period is welcome news indeed and feels like quite a feat in an unprecedented year and ongoing industrial turmoil. Te broader picture these figures


reveal is one of a medium-term trend of rising membership, not simply a reaction to the Covid-19 crisis. It’s a structural shiſt that we need to maximise and nurture, and encourage other workers to recognise that unions offer their best hope at protecting and promoting their interests. Tese figures also signal future priorities. Trade union membership is higher among older workers and those who have been in the same job for a decade or longer. Reaching younger more mobile recruits, and those working precariously as freelances and casuals, are critical if we are to secure our future for the long term and make the biggest impact on the lives of journalists and publishing workers. Te GMB’s recent agreement to


represent Uber drivers is a landmark in the unionisation of the gig economy. Te improvements to drivers’ working lives are long overdue. It’s a victory that also robustly demonstrates trades unions’ relevance to post-millennial enterprises and business models. An organising renaissance is also


evident in the NUJ. In recent months alone we have reached fresh recognition agreements at Springer Nature, Iran International, Alaraby, openDemocracy, Cagora, Reach and Newsquest LDR among others. It is the union’s best run of organising success in new workplaces


for more than two decades, with more to come given the many other organising initiatives in full swing.


“A revived NUJ and a resurgent trade union movement is our chance to navigate inevitable changes ahead”


It was fantastic to see delegates from


many new chapels at our Delegate Meeting – even if Zoom couldn’t provide the socialising opportunities of our usual seaside get togethers. It may have been a virtual meeting, but the decisions and resolutions made by delegates will inform the union’s strategic priorities and work over the next two years, and also provide a decisive turning point in the NUJ’s fortunes. Before DM, we had endured over a year of pandemic-related restrictions and two dramatic unknowns. Te first was whether it would be possible to bring together more than 200 delegates and observers online. If we could, would such a meeting be sufficiently robust in organisation that critical, contested votes could be held by means that were beyond reproach. No less important was whether such a meeting would take the difficult decision to raise subscriptions to a level that gave the NUJ a fighting chance of survival? Tat we achieved both was testimony


to the extraordinary work of both NUJ staff and our national executive, and the collegiate spirit of our delegates atending from across Ireland, the UK and continental Europe. Te emphatic decision to increase subs – approved by 82 per cent of votes – is particularly important and makes it easier to explain to our membership. No-one welcomes rises in subscriptions or fees but achieving such a huge


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