Birmingham and Coventry National Union of Journalists

Reminder: Birmingham and Coventry January Branch Meeting
Thursday 19th January 2012
Bennett's Bar
8 Bennetts Hill
Birmingham
B2 5RS
Meet 18:00 for 18:30 start

Warning: Anyone arriving by car, there is no free street parking, Birmingham City Council have extended the time you must pay parking fees to 19:30 hrs, arriving 18:00 hrs or after will cost £3.

- Vacancy: Photographers' Seat on the National Executive Committee
- 14,500 Visual Artists Share £4.4 Million
- Our Trade Union History - Wapping exhibition
- EDM 2567: Fatalities And Major Injuries In The Workplace
- EDM 2572: UK Citizens' Access To Justice
- NUJ professional and trade union training programme for 2012
- Terrorist suspect BBC interview can be shown, rules High Court

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Vacancy: Photographers' Seat on the National Executive Committee
The first ever Photographers' Seat on the National Executive Committee (NEC) is up for election. Branch Photographers will get the chance to decide who to nominate for the position . This is very important as the NEC puts into action the decisions made by the NUJ delegate meeting, coordinates the day-to-day work of the union and the campaigns we are involved in.

If you would like to stand for the Photographers' Seat the submission date for all nominations must be in at Headland House by close of business Friday 10 February 2012. Please inform the branch Secretary if you want to stand for nomination by the 31st Jan, with a short statement, so it can be publicised. The NEC Photographers' Seat position is for a period of two years. There is one seat available, but the position can be shared. The position is unpaid, but expenses are covered.

Nominees must be up-to-date with their union contributions when nominated and throughout the election period and must be registered as a photographer, photojournalist or video journalist. Nomination forms must be signed by an elected officer of the branch and nominees must sign the consent section of the nomination form or inform head office independently that they are willing to accept nomination.

Nominees must also submit their statement for the election pamphlet by Friday 10 February 2012

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14,500 Visual Artists Share £4.4 Million
Payback is an annual service provided by Design and Artists Copyright (DACS), which distributes royalties to visual artists whose work has been reproduced in UK books and magazines, and on certain UK television channels. Last month a record 14,500 visual artists enjoyed a share of £4.4 million in Payback royalties through Design and Artists Copyright (DACS).

These royalties come from revenue generated through UK collective licensing schemes including the photocopying of books and magazines by local government departments, universities and other businesses. Collective licensing is used in situations where it would be difficult or near impossible for visual artists to licence their rights on an individual basis, for example, when a business wishes to photocopy a page of a book which features their work.
Read the full press release here . . . .

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EDM 2567: Fatalities And Major Injuries In The Workplace
That this House is alarmed that the number of people killed in the workplace in the last financial year increased to 171, 24 more than in the previous 12 months; is concerned at figures published by the Health and Safety Executive that nationally more than 24,700 workers suffered a major injury between April 2010 and March 2011; and while acknowledging that Britain has one of the lowest rates of workplace deaths in Europe, urges the Government not to reduce health and safety regulations.
Primary sponsor: Bob Russell, Date tabled: 10/01/2012

EDM 2572: UK Citizens' Access To Justice
That this House is aware of recent independent research undertaken which has revealed that around 600,000 people each year in the UK need to use no win, no fee legal representation agreements to gain access to justice, a figure which includes at least 150,000 people who because of their financial position have to use this mechanism to claim their actual rights in law; notes that Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill proposes to remove such access; is therefore doubly alarmed to learn that the proposals will also have the effect of causing approximately 450,000 people each year to lose up to 25 per cent. of any compensation they may receive, additional costs of 93 million to the NHS, further estimated taxpayer losses for employer liabilities of 70 million, which along with other causes will likely lead to an overall loss in excess of 350 million per annum to the public purse; and believes such outcomes are totally unacceptable and unrepresentative as a form of good or acceptable governance.
Primary sponsor: Alan Meale, Date tabled: 10/01/2012


Put your MP to work request they sign EDM 2567 - 2572
Early Day Motions are very good ways of raising issues in parliament, which may not get debated in normal sittings of parliament.
You can contact your MP for free, through: WriteToThem.Com

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Our Trade Union History - Wapping exhibition/Durham Miners' Gala

Wapping exhibition: As Murdoch's newspapers find themselves under the scrutiny of the Leveson inquiry, an exhibition marking the 25 years since the sacking of 5,500 newspaper print workers during the bitter 1986 dispute between Rupert Murdoch and the print unions, is moving back to London.

The Wapping dispute occurred at a time of unrelenting attacks on jobs, union rights and communities in the 1980s starting with Eddie Shah's Stockport Messenger, the year-long miners' strike and culminating with the News International dispute that began after News International - owners of The Times, Sunday Times, The Sun and the now closed News of the World - sacked thousands of its staff when it moved production overnight to Wapping in East London.

The exhibition highlighting the 13-month struggle that the employees staged to save their jobs and protect trade union rights.

The institute is at 230 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4QH, just over the road from Liverpool St station. The exhibition is open Monday to Friday 10am - 2pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 5.30pm until Sunday 29 February 2012.

Dramatic images, photographs and accounts of the dispute - when Rupert Murdoch used his vast wealth, aided by the Conservatives' anti-union legislation, to facilitate the dash to Wapping - will be on display.

The multi-media exhibition has been organised by Unite, the National Union of Journalists, Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom and the Marx Memorial Library.


Posted by "Tim Gopsill" <timgo@inweb.co.uk>


EDM 2594: Durham Miners' Gala (No. 2)
That this House welcomes the publication of The Big Meeting: a history of the Durham Miners' Gala which has been written by the former miner David Temple; recognises the huge amount of research and commitment that has gone into its production; acknowledges the huge role that the Gala has played in the political and cultural history of the North East and the labour movement; praises all of those involved in retaining a tradition that goes back 140 years, in particular those community groups who have recreated a swathe of miners' union banners over recent years; and wishes the tens of thousands of people well who organise and will attend The Big Meeting for many years to come.
Primary sponsor: David Anderson, date tabled: 11/01/2012

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NUJ professional and trade union training programme for 2012
NUJ training offers both new and established journalists advice and information on training and the NUJ's courses, designed to help meet the demands of journalism in the digital age.

With redundancies in the industry widespread, the need for journalists to keep their skills up-to-date has never been greater. With a suite of courses covering multimedia skills - including writing for the web, podcasting, website building and video blogging - on top of traditional skills like newswriting, NUJ Professional training can help.

To see the course outlines go to the courses section and look under either professional training course outlines or trade union training course outlines go here . . . .

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Terrorist suspect BBC interview can be shown, rules High Court
The High Court ruled that the Justice Secretary's refusal to grant the BBC permission to have and to broadcast a face-to-face interview with terrorism suspect Babar Ahmad was unlawful. The BBC and one of its home affairs correspondents, Dominic Casciani, had applied for permission to conduct the interview with Mr Ahmad, who is currently detained at HMP Long Lartin, and is fighting extradition to the USA. The BBC also wished to broadcast the interview. The Justice Secretary refused the permission, which refusal the BBC challenged in a judicial review claim.
Karwan Eskerie, UK Human Rights Blog, 16/01/12

Read more of this post

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