Walk out? Or stay in?
Over the last couple of years brave union members have taken action, including strikes, against job losses – but the cuts went on. In other industries workers have resisted the effects of the recession in a more direct manner – occupying workplaces. NUJ General Secretary JEREMY DEAR reckons journalists might think of doing the same
WHEN CAR-PARTS supplier Visteon announced it was closing down its factories and that workers would lose their enhanced redundancy and pension payments, union members took the only option they felt was left open to them — they occupied the workplace. The occupation, backed by vocal and active trade union and community support outside, forced the company to back down, to meet the enhanced redundancy terms and start negotiating over pensions.
At Vestas, the threatened closure of the Isle of Wight wind turbine factory sparked another high-profile occupation, forcing the company to keep employing staff for several weeks longer as talks took place. Workers at Thomas Cook’s travel shops in Dublin and at a secure children’s unit in south London briefly seized their own workplaces as part of ongoing disputes over jobs.
These actions followed hot on the heels of unofficial strike action at the Linamar plant in Swansea that won reinstatement for a sacked shop steward. It is clear that more and more trade union members are being forced to consider more militant action as employers seek to make them pay for the economic crisis.
You may think such things are a million miles from the world of journalism. Not so. Earlier this year a group of NUJ members at the BBC World Service took unofficial action over threatened compulsory redundancies and several programmes had to be taken off air.
The NUJ is no stranger to occupations. They were used with great effect by NUJ members at Penguin and Education Audio Visual in the mid-1970s and at BPC Chapels in the 1980s. It is a tactic that forced Robert Maxwell back to the negotiating table when he had unilaterally terminated negotiations — and eventually led to the 10 threatened job cuts being withdrawn.
NUJ Book Branch produced a publication that described occupations as “one of the most effective weapons a chapel can use”. Properly organised, well supported and with a clear aim, they were.
The tactic of workplace occupation really came to the fore during the Great Depression and in 1936 workers at General Motors in Flint, Michigan took control of the car plants. It took several weeks but having at first even refused to talk to unions even the mighty GM was forced in to a climb-down. The victory of GM workers provoked almost 100 further sit-ins over the next few months.
Today the effect of Visteon and Vestas could be the same. Decisions to occupy are not taken lightly or without a proper knowledge of the legal challenges and implications but those faced with few choices believe such difficulties can be overcome. The occupations required careful (but secret) organisation. When and where to occupy? How best could occupiers prevent work being done elsewhere?
And other union members and many others within the community not directly involved have mobilised quickly to support — raise funds, circulate petitions, join rallies and lobby other parts of the same company.
At many recent union meetings journalists have had passionate discussions about how best to win in the fight for jobs and against the pay freezes being imposed by profitable companies. The idea of a work-in, sit-in or occupation, having apparently faded into history, is being resurrected and talked about seriously, especially in places where offices or titles are being closed and where communities are losing their local newspaper or radio station.
The occupations at Visteon and Vestas are seen as an inspiration by many. They help us understand that sometimes — when a factory, office or even a newspaper or magazine faces closure, when a studio is being axed, when a company is closing whole titles and offices — and negotiations break down, that need not be the end of the battle for jobs, but, as the Vestas workers banner read: “This is only the start”.
Given the state of the industry it’s almost certainly not a matter of if, but when, a group of NUJ members decide to occupy their workplace. A victory for them would undoubtedly inspire and give strength and confidence to all those fighting to save jobs.