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New pay claims are in the pipeline
The NUJ Irish Office, working with chapels at The Irish News, Belfast Telegraph/Sunday Life and JPI Media plans to bring further pay claims for staff at those titles for 2020. The NUJ is already engaging with management in Galway Bay FM, seeking a new pay agreement, and has already secured a 2 per cent increase, backdated to July, at JPI Media for 2019-2020. JPI owns the Newsletter, Morton regional titles, and the Derry Journal. Ian McGuinness, Irish Organiser, said: “Every chapel in the country should be lodging a pay claim for 2020 but it must come from the chapel. Inflation impacts every worker, be they staff or freelance, or whether they work in local or national media. If you don’t ask for an increase your boss is unlikely to give you one out of the goodness of their heart.
“The Irish Office and our members have been
flexible in their approach and where companies couldn’t afford a stand-alone percentage or lump sum pay increase, we fought for – and frequently won – increased terms and conditions instead of a pay raise. “For example, we can negotiate an increase to sick pay, more annual leave, better paternity or maternity payments, or any other issue that our members ask us to fight for an improvement on. “So chapel reps should contact the Irish Office and ask for assistance in fighting for more pay, or better terms and conditions, or both, for them in 2020.” Officers or members from any NUJ chapel
who want assistance with lodging a pay claim can contact Ian at the Irish Office in Dublin on 01 8170340 or by email on
ianmcg@nuj.ie.
Storm over Achill meeting camera ban
The decision of a Fianna Fáil councillor to demand the ejection of a TG4 camera operator from a public meeting on proposals for a direct provision centre in Achill has been strongly criticised by the NUJ. Fergal Sweeney had been assigned to cover the meeting last month. On arrival in the venue he was asked by Fianna Fáil councillor Paul McNamara to leave, although print journalists were allowed to stay.
Some of those present shouted “out, out, out” as Mr Sweeney was denied the right to cover the public meeting.
Séamus Dooley, Irish Secretary, NUJ, said:
“This was a disturbing incident. Fergal Sweeney was assigned to cover a public meeting in Achill, the meeting had been widely publicised and was in no way a private event. I understand that Mr Sweeney was asked to leave by Cllr McNamara. He was also the subject of jeers and taunts of ‘out, out, out’ from some of those in attendance. Mr McNamara, as a public representative, had no right to challenge Mr Sweeney’s right to attend a meeting which was of enormous public interest.
“Mr McNamara’s action are deeply disturbing. No public representative should seek to limit media access to a public meeting in this fashion. “The issue of direct provision is of national importance and we cannot tolerate a situation whereby local public representatives decide what journalists are allowed or not allowed to cover meetings of this type. “There can be circumstances where individual
speakers may wish not to speak in front of a camera or not wish to be identified, for legitimate interests. “Journalists are well used to dealing with
sensitive situations. There does not seem to have been any reason Mr Sweeney was excluded, other than a desire to manage the nature of media coverage. “The presence of print and broadcast journalists at similar public meetings elsewhere has been extremely useful in helping to understand the context of local opinion and in at least one case, highlighted attempts from external forces to influence local opinion.” Branch members intend to formally raise this issue at the next West of Ireland branch meeting.
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