Eduardo Marquez Gonzalez, president of the Colombian Federation of Journalists, told delegates that the federation regarded the NUJ as “our big brother” for its role in establishing the federation to fight for the rights of Colombian journalists. NUJ officials Jeremy Dear and Barry Fitzpatrick had both visited Colombia.
Speaking through his colleague Karen Cepeda, he said in his country “journalism takes place in the midst of wars”. In the past 20 years 2,500 trade unionists had been killed in his country.
Journalists did not escape the violence. “All sides want to control us and to make each journalist their press secretary.” Some 140 had been killed in recent years. Others had been forced to flee their homes or the country.
Eduardo Marquez Gonzalez said most journalists in his country were unpaid but got money by having the right to sell advertising in their publication. As much advertising came from government sources, taxpayers’ money was being used to blackmail journalists.
John McDonnell, secretary of the NUJ’s parliamentary group, told delegates that there had been no change in government policy as a result of the transition from Blair to Brown. “In some instances things have got worse,” he said.
Why is journalism under such attack, he asked. The answer was “blindingly obvious”: The lack of trade union rights in Britain allowed companies to cut wages and pensions while unions’ arms were tied behind their backs.
Attempts by MPs to right this situation with a Trade Union Freedom Bill and the Agency Workers Bill had been opposed by the government at the behest of employers. “After 11 years of Labour government, we should not be in this situation.”
Patricia McKeown, President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said the voice of trade unions and civil society would have to be heard more fully in the new political dispensation in Northern Ireland.
Listing the rights that working people needed, she said there was one other that NUJ members had tried fiercely to protect: freedom of expression. It was a right “dear to the rest of us as well”.
The guest speaker said the ICTU shared the NUJ’s concern about the failure to bring to justice the killers of Martin O’Hagan.