17 Marking UN World Press Freedom Day


The NUJ joined with other trade unionists to mark the United Nations World Press Freedom Day with a joint seminar, Why Journalism Matters, organised by the NUJ Belfast and District branch and the United Nations Association of Northern Ireland. The seminar, dedicated to the late journalist Lyra McKee, was held on May 3rd in the Linen Hall Library in Belfast and included several speakers and a panel discussion and question-and-answer session. A photographic exhibition, “News and Views”, compiled by former Belfast Telegraph photographic editor Gerry Fitzgerald, opened the exhibition, and on show was the Plaque dedicated


Council of Europe backs freelance rights


The NUJ welcomed the Council of Europe's determination confirming self-employed workers are entitled to collective trade union representation and negotiations with their employers. The decision of the Council of Europe's committee of ministers followed an earlier decision of the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) and relates to a complaint that was originally lodged on behalf of self- employed workers by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU). The complaint was supported by the NUJ and our sister unions,


to former NUJ Belfast Branch secretary Martin O’ Hagan, who was murdered by loyalist killers in 2001 for simply doing his job. The panel of speakers, above, from left: Gerry Carson, joint cathaoirleach, NUJ Irish Executive Council;Trevor Birney, Fine Point Films; Séamus Dooley, Assistant General Secretary, NUJ; Jim Boumelha, European Federation of Journalists; Pat Irvine, chair, United Nations Association of Northern Ireland; Colin Wrafter, former Irish Ambassador to South Africa and director of human rights unit at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; and Angelina Fusco, former BBC TV news editor. Photo: Kevin Cooper.


including the Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU), the Musicians Union of Ireland and Equity, the trade union for creative practitioners. The determination affirmed the European


social charter in regard to the right to collective bargaining and applied this principle to self- employed people, including freelance journalists. It was also decided that restrictions based on


existing competition law or commercial law are not legitimate or necessary in a democratic society. The European decision was in line with the Irish Competition Amendment Act (May 2017), which allowed collective bargaining for


journalists and artists. The changes in Irish law were the result of trade union campaigning. Seamus Dooley, NUJ assistant general


secretary, said, “It is another breakthrough in the battle to assert the rights of freelance workers. For too long competition law has been granted primacy over the rights of workers.”


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