Birmingham branch says goodbye to John Fray

Birmingham and Coventry Branch said farewell to retiring Deputy General Secretary John Fray at its May meeting.

Northern Organiser and former Birmingham Post and Mail FoC Chris Morley, seconded by Barbara Goulden Deputy MoC of the Coventry Telegraph, said John’s stewardship had seen the union through difficult times, and that he had learned a great deal from John.

Negotiation was often characterised by a great deal of blustering bravado by management, said John Fray, who added that members should take heart from the fact that hitting local management hard was often effective.

John is retiring after working for the NUJ for 18 years since joining from sister union Bectu. At a party in London to mark his farewell General Secretary Jeremy Dear praised John’s long dedication to the union.

At the branch’s April meeting President James Doherty presented life membership certificates to union stalwarts Brian Dodd, a retired Birmingham Post news sub, and Roger Jones, chief reporter with Trinity Mirror stablemate the Solihull Times, who also contributes to other Midland Weekly Media titles.

 

 

 

The Journalist is published by the National Union of Journalists