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Support NUJ Iran International


chapel – victims of a dirty deal which has prevented them from being represented by the union of their choice. Iran International is a Persian-


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language television channel owned by Volant Media UK Ltd. Te NUJ has been active supporting members there with a whole range of workplace issues since the channel was established nearly three years ago. It has also worked to protect them and their families from intimidation and harassment by Iranian state officials. Te NUJ initiated recognition talks with Iran International in an effort to reach a voluntary recognition agreement but, since a meeting in January, the company has refused to engage with the union, either directly or through the arbitrator ACAS.


Ten, despite being in the formal


process of recognition with the NUJ it revealed it had signed a recognition deal with the obscure British Association of Journalists. Tis cynical move was intended


essages of support and solidarity have been flooding in to members of the NUJ Iranian


to deliberately block the NUJ by teaming up with an organisation that in a clear breach of workers’ rights. As it stands, UK law does not properly protect workers from having a union with no workplace members foisted on them by their bosses. Te Labour peer and labour law expert Lord Hendy QC is lodging a complaint with the International Labour Organisation on behalf of the NUJ. Tere is now a BAJ “rep”, a senior member of management. Meanwhile staff report they are being put under pressure to join BAJ, which is not affiliated to the TUC. As the chapel commitee said in a leter to BAJ last Saturday night, asking it to step back from this deal: “As a chapel of minority ethnic workers, our voice has been completely taken away from us by an organisation that pretends to stand up for workers. Our aspiration as journalists in exile has been to exercise our right to


association and trade union work in the UK. However, unfortunately, we regret to see that we have been denied such rights yet again. Many of us know these tactics well, we have seen in Iran how something fake is created in an atempt to devalue the original.” BAJ dismissed the leter as “inflammatory”.


Te NUJ has made the BAJ aware, in the strongest terms possible, that it believes it has acted unethically and in a totally unprincipled way by denying a collective voice for the staff with the union they want, and by acting as a puppet of the employer. Te NUJ remains prepared to continue to negotiate with Iran International to achieve a sensible outcome that respects and properly represents the wishes of the majority of the workers in the bargaining unit.


Action


Send messages of solidarity – personal and as a branch – to campaigns@ nuj.org.uk


Tweet support using the hashtags #Solidarity4NUJIranInt


#TURightsAreHumanRights, #BAJofShame, tagging @the_baj and @FlyMyat


Write to your MP or get the support of any other organisations you know which


support trade union freedom, to expose this dirty, sweetheart deal of BAJ’s, which denies our members their basic human rights. Write a blog in support.


Tis threat must be seen off.


CAMPAIGN


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