union help


NUJ came to the rescue


Never give up your subscription – our union can take on big employers on your behalf, says Kevin Whitlock


I


am a proud but not an active NUJ member. I’ve paid my subs since 1991 but contact with Headland House or my


fellow freelance branch members has been spotty at best. I read The Journalist and the bulletins and, back in the day, I even joined fellow members on strike a few times. However, I’ve never been to the delegate meeting or many branch meetings. Like a lot of members, I’ve had to make


cuts in my living expenses over the past decade, especially since the Covid pandemic. As a freelance, I have found work has become increasingly difficult to come by, and remuneration has shrunk. Thus, over time, subscriptions have been culled – Sky, Tidal, various online and print mags and newspapers… I even had to cancel membership of the London Library in St James’ Square (a wonderful place to work). I have to confess that I even thought


about cancelling my NUJ membership. But something inside told me that as a working – if underemployed – hack, I ought to remain, both for my and our trade’s sake. I’m very glad I did remain. Six years ago, via an old colleague, an offer dropped into my lap – a freelance production editor on a monthly music magazine. The money was rubbish, but I could work flexibly and there were plenty of benefits – free CDs and records, gig tickets and so forth – and music has always been one of my big passions. I got to really enjoy the job: I was


elevated to the position of deputy editor and, thanks to increased responsibilities, was able to extract better remuneration as well as make


what I believed to be improvements to the magazine. I was content – until earlier this year when I attended what I thought would be a routine online editorial meeting. I was told by the editor-in-chief and editor that I was no longer employed. Budget cuts meant that they could not afford me so my position was terminated with immediate effect – no warning, no compensation, no consultation, no offer of alternative employment within the company, which has around 400 employees. I was furious. I’m old and ugly enough


to have been laid off or made redundant plenty of times, but very rarely with no warning and never with no offer of compensation or pay in lieu of notice. That afternoon I emailed the NUJ for


help and, within the hour, David Ayrton, the senior freelance organiser, called me. He asked about my circumstances and offered some sage advice on what to do next, as well as encouragement that I had right – and the law – on my side. He helped me focus my anger and frustration towards practical ends and increased my determination not to let the company get away with this egregious behaviour. What was most helpful was his telling


me that even though I was a freelance, I had the same rights as a PAYE employee – including pay in lieu of notice and holiday pay. He gave me some excellent pointers on writing a letter asserting my status as an employee or worker as opposed to a casual contractor and a claim for payment. We pitched for quite an ambitious settlement. After much toing-and-froing with the HR director of


theJournalist | 09 “


When my role was cut, I felt powerless. Thanks to the NUJ, I was able to get what I was due and justice was done


the company in question – who, to be fair, had not been consulted prior to my being budgeted out of existence – I settled on an amount that was less than we’d hoped for but which did, as David pointed out, constitute a victory these days. The money has provided me with a much-needed financial cushion in these tough times and I can move on. One hears a lot these days about how unions are dying and irrelevant in our era of brutal US-style capitalism. I disagree. There’s safety in numbers and our union has the resources to help individuals tackle big systems and corporations. Think how much it would cost you to hire a lawyer or consultant with David’s experience, expertise and understanding. Yet, thanks to our subs, we can tap into union resources for free. When my role was eliminated, I felt powerless and on the brink of financial struggle. Thanks to the NUJ and David in particular, I was able to get what I was due, justice was done and I was able to get on with life. So, if you’ve got to make cuts, then remember you can do without that streaming service. But, for my money, the NUJ sub is priceless.


Join the NUJ at www.nuj.org.uk/join


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