UPDATE


06 Be Part of a Collective Voice All hands on deck


Feedback from the union-wide recruitment and organising webinar.


Are you keeping good company? Join the NUJ today at


nuj.org.uk/join F


rom boosting student membership to concluding historic recognition agreements, recruitment and


organising underpins every aspect of the NUJ’s work. Members and officials joined a recent online event chaired by Gerry Curran, NUJ joint president, to discuss how we can build a stronger union. Introducing the session, Laura


Davison, NUJ general secretary, said that active members are key to the NUJ’s success – particularly at a critical moment for the trade union movement with economic crisis, increasingly isolated working conditions, and the impending Employment Rights Bill.


Speakers from various chapels and


Visit the NUJ events calendar for organising and recruitment


Action •


events, and stay tuned for branch consultations on the union’s recruitment strategy.


branches stressed the importance of fostering a sense of community and tailoring tactics to different workplaces. Reflecting on her experience as a chapel rep at PA Media, Emily Pennink said that one- to-one conversations, though labour- intensive, proved highly beneficial. Te chapel combined in-person and online tactics, creating a private WhatsApp group that colleagues could opt-in to, while holding social events to woo would-be members. Pennink advised atendees to spend more time listening to members than opponents. In June 2024 members at PA won historic recognition aſter four years of concerted campaigning. Mostafa Rajaai, NUJ organiser, emphasised that the NUJ is member- led and non-prescriptive in its organising approach. At Business Insider, reps used issues related to discrimination, diversity, and equality to push for recognition, creating a strong group of core organisers. Meanwhile staff at Te Lancet were inspired to campaign for unionisation aſter colleagues at Springer Nature successfully


reached a pay agreement following industrial escalation. Te NUJ has since recruited over 120 members at Te Lancet. Rajaai reminded atendees of the need to rebuild social networks that


As a member of the NUJ you are part of a united force championing the rights of media workers and defending atacks on press freedom. Successful workplaces are those where the management and workers share the same aims and talk to each other. Being a member of the NUJ means giving yourself and colleagues a real voice at work.


www.nuj.org.uk


have been eroded by job cuts and remote working. Georgina Morris, who helped revive the York and North Yorkshire branch, similarly noted the sense of isolation many journalists experience. To create camaraderie, the branch held meetings every two months along with social events on alternate months. Morris, who has since been elected vice-president of the NUJ, highlighted the union’s democratic processes and structures as ways of engaging and recruiting prospective members. Both Morris and Stephen Corrigan, NUJ Irish Executive Council (IEC) member, focused on encouraging younger journalists to join the NUJ. Corrigan explained how the IEC organised student nights and free seminars offering networking opportunities and advice on careers within journalism. He recommended opening these events to non- members, making membership an objective rather than a prerequisite. Digital campaigning can enable union organisers to act quickly, reinforce branch solidarity, and target the right people when identifying bargaining units or conducting ballots. John Wood, Trade Union Congress digital manager, shared examples of creative digital campaigns – from GMB geotargeting Amazon workers to IBM staff’s 2007 virtual reality picket. Nonetheless, Woods warned atendees to avoid using digital tools merely for the sake of it: “sometimes no tech will do”.


REASONS TO JOIN


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