A colleague suggested to me today that I renew my NUJ membership. I’ve let mine lapse since my student days — the £10 or so I spent for a tacky piece of laminated plastic could have been better spent on, well, anything.
At the time, I was promised not only huge benefits of being a card holder — entrance to events, and so on; never happened — but also representation. A union that would stand up for my rights as a student journalist.
But, after getting this promotional bullshit fed to me at during an early lecture at university, I haven’t seen nor heard a NUJ rep since.
And not for want of trying, either.
Last year I did a placement at a well-known media company. I was, for want of a better phrase, taken the piss out of. They wanted me to do a job that was not only away from the area I wanted to work, but was away from the company’s BUILDING. Instead, I was logging in a ten minute drive away. No thanks — I’m not paying £25 a day (they don’t pay expenses, naturally) to offer free labour.
(That said, once the matter was resolved, it turned into a very valuable placement which has lead to me making many good friends and career contacts.)
At the time, I emailed the NUJ for advice. As a student member, I asked, what rights do I have as part of this Union?
No reply. My £10 didn’t even earn me an email offering advice. No phone call, nothing. They couldn’t even be bothered to link me to a relevant part of their website for help. Which is a shame — because they do have a guide for this sort of thing (PDF). But try following their tips and insist on being paid a minimum wage for your placement — you’ll have a big red boot mark on your arse before you’d even sat down.
More recently — in my quest for NUJ help — after seeing several adverts for unpaid internships at websites that were making plenty of money, I emailed the NUJ to ask them if there’s anything they/I/we could do about it.
No reply.
Let me ask you this: Is the NUJ really standing up for journalists?
The answer for me is a very firm and direct no.
The NUJ is a cowardly union, hiding away in offices in which they wish were still furnished with typewriters and a smoking room. Their magazine, ‘Journalist’, is symbolic of their attitude to the changing media world. Only very recently has it become available online. As a downloadable PDF, that is. A pain to download, a pain to read — and completely anti-Google. Journalists looking for its words of ‘wisdom’ wouldn’t find them too easily.
Now when I say hiding — I don’t mean they’re not out there campaigning. They are. Very hard, in fact, with chapels springing up and making a lot of noise in places like the FT and in unison against the Birmingham media hub.
What I actually mean by hiding is that they are cowering from the future. Here’s the NUJ, plowing money and effort into saying “STOP THE CUTBACKS!”… and then dealing with the blow with yet more anger and disbelief when it happens anyway.
If I were a member of the NUJ, I’d demand it help me as a struggling journalist. Where can I re-skill? How can the NUJ help me choose courses to enhance my online skills?
Simply: It can’t. Look at the diary — what do you see? Gloom — print this, rate cuts that. I’m not saying we don’t need meetings to discuss our rights in the workplace, but like the newspapers making the cuts, we are FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE.
If the NUJ is really out there to act as a service for all working journalists, it needs to wake up. It needs to get over its fascination with tradition. It needs to pull its head from the sand, stand up and come up with a plan to really help those in need.
Right now, the only noise I hear from the NUJ is complaining.
“Save the journalists!” they’ll scream.
“But how we will survive? We can’t afford them,” say the newspapers.
“Well, er… we don’t know. Just SAVE THE JOURNALISTS, ok?”
Useless.
I totally agree with everything you have said. The only reason I remain a member is because as a freelance I need my press card and I can only get one from the NUJ (or one of the other unions, which are even worse). Otherwise I doubt I’d bother. The union is a dinosaur in terms of how it is adapting to the current reality, let alone the future. I despair, I really do.
I’m about to re-join – hope to raise some of the issues about online representation from the inside. I’ll let you know how I feel in a few months’ time…
JTownend’s last blog post..A row broke out in Medialand today and it wasn’t formulated for a headline
I think you’ve had bad experiences, which is incredibly unfortunate, but every time I’ve called asking for help I’ve always received it. And when I called Jeremy Dear to ask for help with a local paper (I’m a branch rep), he didn’t hestitate in coming to the paper to help where he could.
It’s hard to know how to stop the numbers being made redundant (although recent literature sent out by the NUJ does help), but part of the weakness could just as easily be said to lie in members (and non-members) not sticking together. For me, creating a united front is a good enough reason to join a union. I also firmly believe that you get out what you put in.
As for the journalist only just going online, I may be wrong, but I think this is something the NEC tried to change at previous ADMs, but it met with resistance from the delegates who still wanted a print copy of the mag.
I can’t speak for the union as a whole, but I know that our branch (Brighton&Mid-Sussex) works incredibly hard to offer advice and support whenever asked, and send out work opps and training course info to members as we hear about them, not to mention arranging talks that can help benefit them (for example on copyright, how to get a book published, how to get higher rates). We don’t always get it right, but we’re volunteers and do what we can. At the last party one of the members said the union helped him get a far better redundancy package, and for that he was incredibly grateful.
Yes, it needs help updating and I like Judith’s approach of raising issues from the inside. Jemima Kiss did it and made a difference, it’s clearly a journalism.co.uk thing…
There are a lot of us trying to make it better, and surely it’s better to try than do nothing at all?
The main union is not great on replying to emails, which is probably why your emails went unanswered. I’m sure you would’ve got a much more helpful response if you’d phoned them. That’s annoying but it’s like any bureaucracy.
However, there is a very active freelance union mailing list. I’d be very happy to put anyone in touch with that if they’re interested.
I fortunately haven’t had to call on the union yet to help me out of a pickle but I’m glad to know they’re there. However I’ve had friends who’ve been made redundant and the union’s been able to negotiate better terms for them – even when they’ve worked for companies that don’t recognise the union.
I also really appreciate the excellent training courses run by the NUJ. They’re open to non-members as well but they’re about half the price if you’re a member.
And it’s not just about me as an individual – I know I’ve benefited from the collective bargaining when working for clients such as the Guardian.
Still, I agree with you about the magazine – it’s total rubbish, especially when compared with Australia’s Walkley magazine.
Caitlin’s last blog post..Best job in the world
Nice post.
I have much sympathy with your argument, although £13 a month for legal protection may be worth it and it is for that reason I am still an NUJ member.
I think there are many in the union that are strongly aware of the changing face of journalism and, in some respects, they are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
My experience of meetings during times of dispute has been that chapel leaders know that, realistically, they can not turn back the clock. However when they have journalists faced with redundancy they need to be there for them.
My fear, however, is that in being too focused on being an organisation that is there to project journalist jobs, they appear to have stopped protecting journalism.
Their campaigns to protect “quality journalism” focus on convincing the large, established news organisations to cut profits and preserve the status quo in order to protect jobs.
In such rapidly changing times, this seems to me to be a too reactionary and an unsustainable approach.
Shouldn’t it be the case that we start from an understanding of what “quality journalism” means for us? Then, once the NUJ has that vision (I’m sure it probably already does), it should be looking to find ways to proactively promote it.
This could be training, but I also think it’s about stealing a march on the industry by developing research that can help try to educate members and news organisations and positively shape this changing industry (it is something I’ve ranted about before: http://tinyurl.com/4gvrwn).
This may see it move away from the traditional concept of what a union is. But if the NUJ is going to stay relevant to members like you and I, I think it is a step it needs to take.
Joanna Geary’s last blog post..New Job
OK the NUJ needs to modernise. And I gave up reading the Journalist a long time ago because it’s so depressing.
But you wait till you’re staring down the barrel of redundancy – through no fault of your own, just because it happens that your team is being shut down.
Wait till you’re being forced to accept alternative work in a place you don’t want to live or in an area you have no interest in.
Wait till you’re summoned to meetings for a “quick chat” and end up facing four senior managers using classic intimidation tactics.
Then you’ll wish you had a union rep by your side to help fight your corner.
I don’t agree with all the NUJ’s tactics or decisions. No-one forces me to. But if you’re a journalist long enough, there will be a point when you suddenly change from being a valued asset to an inconvenience, just so the bottom line can be addressed – even if you’re a forward-thinking, multi-skilled, multi-media journalist.
Your NUJ rep (if you have one) won’t seem so cowardly then.
Wait until you really need their help for something serious rather than minor student placement issues and you’ll soon regret this decision. The union has helped me on a number of occasions over the years and has more than paid for itself (I don’t see the point in try to appeal to your sense of solidarity as clearly you don’t have one).
It is as you say. I have no immediate experience of the NUJ or other British unions, but think unions (the way they are) are a bad idea. Here’s why: http://bit.ly/whyunionsarebad .
Dilyan’s last blog post..Eric Ulken — Beyond the story-centric model of the universe
“(I don’t see the point in try to appeal to your sense of solidarity as clearly you don’t have one)”
Hey, nice marketing, that’s the sort of mentality which will bring people in
Solidarity is a somewhat loaded word. You can offer support (solidarity) to colleagues if they are being treated unfairly, this doesn’t need to be through a Union. Where does solidarity stop? I always have reservations about simple supporting those in the same profession at the other end of the country (or the other side of the world) as I’m simply not aware of all the facts. For those who feel this is unkind, I don’t do anything when the person who lives up my street is – for example – made unemployed – why is my profession so different.
As an objective observer on this one, I have had good and bad experiences of unions. If I had to sum up what I would want a union to do and be, it is to work on behalf of its members. The problem is that some unions lose touch with what this means, and see themselves as lobbyists, or big movers and shakers; when in fact their remit remains low key, but essential to those who really should matter – their members. Do they occasionally forget who the customer is, and what their customer wants?
Ed Hart’s last blog post..The Balance Sheet
As someone studying journalism now, I can’t help but agree with Dave’s points. From what I read on Jeremy Dear’s blog and on Journalism.co.uk, the NUJ badly needs to modernise. It’s getting there.
I agree with Ed’s sentiment that often unions can loose touch with ’smaller’ issues and instead concentrate on being part of a larger, national political movement.
But then again, is there really an alternative? Better to change it from the inside perhaps.
They could be a bit more active in persuading student journalists to join though, as there has been little impetus from my department (University of Sheffield) and I don’t think many of my fellow students are members.
Kyle Christie’s last blog post..Dave Lee on the NUJ
Hi Dave
Once I too thought like you. What was the point of being in the NUJ? I could spend the £15 (more now I think for mags branch) on beer/fags/mobile phone or whatever. But then I thought again and really a case of not what the union can do for you, but what can do for your union.
Since I was elected as Father of the Chapel I managed to get us a decent pay rise for once and have actually enjoyed chairing meetings and trying to help solve workplace issues. Get involved and make a stand and the NUJ will back you.
It helps to get the facts right.
The Journalist has been online in html as well as PDF format since last April. Though the fact that the link page has not been updated since last October (later issues are available) may indicate the priority the union gives it.
http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=871
Easy to knock, especially if you adopt the position of a shrill outsider to indulge in a bit of union bashing. Can’t do the career any harm at all either: I’ve certainly seen that one before.
You sound like you want the union to serve you as if you are a customer. Breaking news: unions don’t work like that. You have to put something in.
Someone so self-consciously hip like you could have some input into its digital media strategy if you weren’t so busy doing precisely what you accuse the NUJ of doing all the time, which is complaining, and making digital media sound like some big deal that’s going to require your special skills alone.
Oh, and, BTW, its ploughing, not plowing, even digitally. With spelling like that, I wouldn’t want you in my newsroom/information hub either.
There are alternatives. On 26th February I will become President of the Chartered Institute of Journalists and we do fight for our members and have a number of ex-NUJ people. We are in challenging times and frankly need the support of both a union and professional body.
Yup – here’s the evidence – posted off the form. Without the stipulated printed example of my journalism but hope online links will suffice. I’ll keep you posted from the inside.
Apart from the protection etc. element there’s a really nice group going in Brighton which tempted me to join. So it’s been positive so far.
http://twitpic.com/1fmd3
Judith Townend’s last blog post..A row broke out in Medialand today and it wasn’t formulated for a headline
Like most organisations, the NUJ is host to different attitudes. I’ve heard some of the best and the worst during my time as a member. Many of Dave’s criticisms are simply down to the fact that a small union like the NUJ hasn’t got the resources to do as much as quickly as it would like. But however flawed, infuriating and just plain wrong the NUJ can sometimes be, it’s still the only union capable of sticking up for media workers industrially and professionally. There are lots of people inside the NUJ arguing for change, and also trying to make sure we carry on doing the good stuff. I don’t recognise the picture Dave paints, and I certainly think “cowardly” is over the top. I hope something constructive comes out of this discussion.
@Dilyan I’m afraid that your comment is meaningless when coupled with your caveat that you don’t know much about British unions. I can’t figure out where you are from for sure but I’m guessing the US from looking at your blog – and US trade unions and the entire legal system governing unionism is completely different in the US versus the UK. So whatever criticisms you have of the US system probably don’t apply.
@thatstheway It’s easy to mock when you are commenting anonymously, isn’t it? I don’t actually think Dave is at all out of line even if he is “expecting the union to serve him like a customer”. You say that you have to put something in and I agree but really I think the £15 membership fee qualifies. Yes, it’s true that unions rely on a lot of volunteer labour, especially at chapel level, but the full-time staff at HQ are paid and they should answer emails, even if it’s to say that they can’t help. Oh and by the way, ‘plow’ is the American spelling of ‘plough’ – it’s not wrong, it’s just a different type of correct.
Caitlin’s last blog post..Best job in the world
Some of the attitudes on display here make me despair. The union is the members, not the officials. The NUJ has a handful of full-time staff, consistently overworked and overstretched and, as a result, it’s rare to see a full complement at work – more often than not, at least one is off sick.
I joined the NUJ in university and became a fulltime member 10 years ago. I’ve faced every single frustrating issue it’s possible to face over that decade. Lack of inclusion of online journalists, lack of knowledge about the changes technology was bringing, lack of capacity leaving me without support, the list goes on.
The difference is, I joined a union, not a service. I became part of the system with an equal shot at trying to fix the problems. I’m now on the National Executive having held roles at every level up to this. The NUJ is a fantastically democratic union (and I’m also a member of Unite, so I can tell the difference), but that means it’s up to members to make use of that.
Don’t whinge on a blog, find your local branch or chapel and take part. Put your complaints, ask for help, get involved. Unions should not depend on full time staff they way they do, that’s what members are for. As you work in new media, join the union and complain to me – I’d be your NEC rep and it’s my responsibility to advance your concerns.
Donnacha DeLong’s last blog post..The UK media in crisis (Corporatism in crisis Part I)
One more thing:
“But how we will survive? We can’t afford them,” say the newspapers.
They’re lying:
See: http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=1035
Some figures:
Company, Year (latest available), Operating profit (excluding exceptional items), Profit margin
Johnston Press, 2007, £178 million, 29.3 %
Reed Elsevier Group, 2007, £1,137 million, 24.8 %
Informa, 2007, £259 million, 22.9 %
Trinity Mirror, 2007, £196 million, 20.2 %
IPC, 2007, £67.1 million, 15.8 %
Archant, 2007, £30.5 million, 15.7 %
ITV, 2007, £311 million, 14.9 %
Pearson, 2007, £634 million, 14.7 %
Daily Mail and General Trust, 2007/8, £317 million, 13.7 %
Donnacha DeLong’s last blog post..The UK media in crisis (Corporatism in crisis Part I)
I’m not an NUJ member but I have been a UNITE union rep involved in helping my NUJ rep colleague when overwhelmed with cases.
Many comments by others on this blog have outlined many of the reasons for being in a union at an individual level which are all valid.
For me, a union is still about collective solidarity and using that solidarity to get better pay, better terms and conditions, up-to-date training, much better than statutory redundancy payments and… respect.
i have applied to join mame brendan thomas ryan 2e barnagh grove donaghadee co down n.ireland bt210aw phone 02891888111 or 07967144726