Media Unions

National Union of Journalists (NUJ), print unions, broadcast unions

Cinema workers continue fight

Cinema workers employed by the Curzon chain have promised to escalate their campaign if management backtrack from an agreement to voluntarily recognise their union, BECTU. Curzon management have agreed in principle to recognise the union, but for reasons which a campaign statement says are "unclear", have stalled in signing it. The campaign has agreed a truce until 25 November, in which time it expects management to sign the agreement. The statement said: "Despite going through a potential agreement with officials from the BECTU union last week, clause-by-clause and word-by-word, Curzon have...

Cinema workers continue organising fight

Members of the BECTU union working at Curzon cinemas (mainly based in London) are continuing a campaign, involving leafleting, demonstrations, and an online petition, to win the London Living Wage and union recognition. Activists have leafleted customers at the cinema, and BECTU has submitted a statutory recognition claim. A union statement said: "BECTU membership at the company far exceeds the 10 per cent minimum threshold required by the legislation to make an application for recognition valid; and the level of support for recognition amongst staff generally is well above 50 per cent as...

Cinema workers launch living wage fight

Workers at the Curzon cinema chain have launched a campaign to win living wages. The hourly rate for most workers is £6.62, well below the £8.55 "London Living Wage" figure most official bodies, including Boris Johnson's GLA, agree is needed to get by in the capital (most of the chain's locations are in London). According to the workers' petition, "On a current wage of £6.62 an hour, it would take workers two days to afford a bottle of one of the wines sold at the cinemas." Workers also face a reduction in their hours. On 9 August, a Guardian article exposed that 150 Curzon workers were on...

Industrial news in brief

East Midlands Trains workers to ballot The Rail, Maritime, and Transport workers union (RMT) is balloting train manager, conductor, and stations grades members working for East Midlands Trains for strikes over a variety of issues, including the victimisation of RMT rep Ruth Strong. The union says the company has taken a “deliberately aggressive attitude” to negotiations over ongoing engineering work at Nottingham station, and accuses East Midlands Trains of “unilaterally ripping up” a number of procedural and conditions-of-service agreements. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “The...

Industrial news in brief

Journalists working for regional newspapers across the country are campaigning for better pay.

Industrial news in brief

Bromley council workers blackmailed Tory-controlled Bromley council has threatened to sack workers unless they agree to new, worse, contracts, imposed without consultation. As Solidarity went to press, Unite was reporting that up to 500 workers had not met the council’s 23 April deadline for accepting the new contracts and therefore faced the sack. A union statement said: “While the majority of the workforce has accepted the new local contracts under duress, more than 500 workers don’t want to be bullied into accepting inferior contracts which slash pay and conditions. “The threat to sack...

Flagship shows withdrawn as BBC workers strike

Members of BECTU and NUJ at the BBC struck on 28 March in a dispute over job cuts, workload, and management bullying. The strike involved both journalists and technical staff and saw key shows such as Newsnight and Radio 4's World at 1 pulled from the air. Unions are opposing the BBC's "Delivering Quality First" (DQF) plan, which threatens 2,000 jobs. They also say workload has become impossible to manage, with an increase in management bullying. NUJ leader Michelle Stanistreet said these problems would get worse if DQF went ahead. She said: "It is disappointing that once again the BBC has...

Industrial news in brief

All three trade union activists at London Metropolitan University suspended by management have now been reinstated. Steve Jefferys, Max Watson, and Jawad Botmeh were suspended over allegations of misconduct relating to the disclosure of Jawad’s background (he has spent time in jail), but all three are now back at work. A high-profile campaign involving both Unison and the University and College Union put huge pressure on uni bosses. Unison activist Jonathan McCree, in a letter to the Islington Tribune, said: “This is testament to the campaigners from two unions at London Met, Unison and UCU...

BBC workers strike

Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) at BBC workplaces across the country struck on Monday 18 February. The NUJ is fighting the BBC’s “Delivering Quality First” cuts programme, which will involve 2,000 job losses, including 30 compulsory redundancies, over five years. NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “The BBC is prepared to waste public money on needless redundancies rather than secure redeployment opportunities for those at risk.” Union members will also take part in a work-to-rule campaign from Friday 15 February.

NUJ votes for two-yearly delegate meetings - to save money

Media workers voted today at their union’s conference to make policy and instruct its executive only every two years. Delegates at the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) conference in Newcastle were asked to support the proposal by the National Executive Council to only meet biennially as it would help save the union money at a time when it is in financial difficulties. Outgoing president Donnacha DeLong spoke on the delegate meeting floor and said it was not just about the money but would also give officers more time to achieve things passed at conference. He also said it would allow more...

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