Paul was always such a great help
I’D LIKE to place on record my deep appreciation for the outstanding abilities of Paul McLaughlin while he was the National Broadcasting Organiser of the union.
Paul represented me in a recent dispute with the BBC. Throughout the BBC’s grievance procedure, he was always at my side — even though the process coincided with both the ITN debacle and the World Service row. His advice was always thoughtful and incisive. Each grievance hearing in Belfast obviously demanded not just a full day out of his week but an early start and a late finish.
In these times when the union is strapped for cash, I often wondered whether members should not articulate more strongly for more to be spent on representing us to employers (in the shape of demanding only reasonable working hours from our Organisers and if that means we need more of them then so be it) and less on four-day ADMs with so many motions which either bear a startling similarity to those passed in previous years or which have little relevance to the everyday working lives of members.
Dot Kirby
Belfast
I WOULD like to thank Paul McLaughlin for all his help, guidance and advice in recent years. He steered ITV Meridian NUJ members through many hours of negotiations during two rounds of proposed cutbacks, and without his support we would not have won many of the concessions which management eventually agreed.
Iain McBride
Former NUJ FoC, ITV Meridian