The NUJ called the tune
IN JULY 2007 hundreds of NUJ members at the Herald walked out in the first newspaper strike in Scotland for 18 years. It was done to save jobs, not many — just five compulsory redundancies had been announced — but having put up with slashed budgets, broken promises and fruitless internal grievance hearings, the line was drawn in the sand.
Two weeks after the walkout it was all over. We had won. Management had capitulated and no member of staff had lost more than a couple of days’ pay. Job done. Jobs saved.
But those two weeks of action were just a chapter in a story that has been running for five years. Behind the scenes the union had directed a campaign of recruitment, organisation and external lobbying.
The NUJ Scottish office began targeting political support and a team responsible for health and safety issues was also put in place. An online petition was set up.
Postcards went from individual staff to every Scottish politician seeking support. MPs and MSPs were asked to back the NUJ call for the Competition Commission to re-open the 2003 hearing on the takeover of the three titles — The Herald, Sunday Herald and Evening Times — as it was felt Newsquest had reneged on commitments over quality and investment entered into when they bought the titles.
The managing director was called to the Scottish parliament at Holyrood to answer questions and politicians started piling on the pressure to save part of Scotland’s cultural identity.
Using the results of a health and safety survey that highlighted the number of people working excessive hours, the union brought in health and safety inspectors.
So when the compulsory redundancies were announced the union was well prepared. The company tried to derecognise the union, banning chapel meetings at work, but desk teams provided skeleton lunchtime cover to allow members to meet on the pavement two yards beyond Newsquest property. Where there is no goodwill, there is always a way.
Once the ballot confirmed support for industrial and strike action the three chapels worked together to decide the best days to maximise impact with minimum loss of earnings for members. It was decided to launch the action with a walkout in the middle of the day. This was good TV — and made a movie on YouTube — and it gave staff on different shifts the chance to take part. To inspire the troops a piper was hired — proving to management that, for one day at least, the union was calling the tune.
This flamboyant opening gesture was followed by a work-to-rule and a series of one-day strikes by each title. For The Herald its most lucrative recruitment advertising sales day was hit.
For the Evening Times a football match day was targeted to disrupt sales, while for The Sunday Herald it was the week of a much-hyped a relaunch. There was support from freelance contributors too, with several big name columnists refusing to submit copy.
Although the strike days were impressive and empowering, the real force lay in sustaining the work-to-rule. The health and safety survey had highlighted the extra hours needed to get the titles out, so the journalists stopped working them. A handful of executives stayed loyal to Newsquest and worked on. After two weeks they were looking pale and exhausted. Day after day they had to endure the sight of people putting on their jackets mid-page, mid-story, mid-shoot, leaving them to cope. It became obvious how much the titles depended on the flexibility and dedication of their staff.
The dispute ended when managers agreed negotiations over voluntary redundancy, retraining and redeployment. Two heads of HR have fallen by the wayside since and there was a greater level of respect for the union from management and staff.
But during the autumn Newsquest announced another £2 million of cuts so we may find history repeating itself in 2009. Let’s hope not. Let’s hope current negotiations are a success and that it is at least another 20 years before we see Scottish NUJ members filing out into the streets.
Andrea Pearson is a former Mother of the NUJ Chapel at the Sunday Herald.