On strike @ the Mailbox Thursday 28th March: Photo Stalingrad O'Neill

Birmingham and Coventry April Branch Meeting

Tuesday 9th April
Belgrade Theatre
Corporation Street
Coventry
CV1 1GS
Assemble 6:30 onwards

Any apologies to branch chair:  alan.weaver1@ntlworld.com

Agenda

1) Introduction by chair/those attending

2) Minutes of March meeting (Attached)

3) Secretary/Treasurers reports

4) Branch reports

5) Up date on disputes: Trinity Mirror and BBC

6) Any other business


EDM 1256: Misrepresentation Of Transgender People In The Media
That this House condemns misrepresentation of transgender people in the British media; notes that some media organisations continue to misrepresent transgender people deliberately and publish their private information in spite of the findings of the Leveson report and in breach of the editors code; believes that such misrepresentation has an extremely damaging impact on those individuals who are named, on the wider transgender community and on the public's perception of transgender people; condemns the harassment of transgender people, their families and colleagues, of which the experiences of Lucy Meadows are the latest; calls for the Press Complaints Commission to issue a public notice to editors immediately reminding them of their existing obligations under the letter and the spirit of the editors code when reporting transgender stories; further notes with concern that the reporting of Lucy Meadows reflects the wider culture of inappropriate language when it comes to stories relating to transgender people; and further calls for an immediate end to misrepresentation of transgender people in the press.

Sponsors: Huppert, Julian / Bottomley, Peter / Lucas, Caroline

<>  House of Commons: 26/03/2013

Solidarity With Striking  BBC Workers

12:00 Noon to 2:00pm - Thursday 28th march 2013
The Mailbox
Birmingham City Centre
B1 1AY

You are invited to join NUJ/BECTU members as they walk out of the BBC Mailbox at 12:00 noon this Thursday.

This joint BECTU / NUJ strike is over compulsory redundancies, excessive workloads, bullying and harassment within the corporation. A consequence of the corporation’s Delivering Quality First (DQF), a cost-cutting programme which will result in the loss of 2,000 job across the corporation.

Gerry Morrissey general secretary Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU)  said:  “BBC staff have rejected management’s attempts to create a modern-day BBC sweatshop. Current demands on staff are unacceptable and with more job cuts planned it is essential that the BBC takes stock of the impact of DQF on its workforce.”

Michelle Stanistreet general secretary National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said: “It is disappointing that once again the BBC has decided not to properly engage, refusing our call for a moratorium to give space for meaningful discussions on the worrying impact of the cuts. BBC executives know they’ve got a major problem on their hands – the recent investigation into bullying and harassment has lifted the lid on a problem that has been allowed to grow to shocking levels, under the noses of senior executives supposed to be responsible for upholding ‘BBC values’.

NUJ prepares for Maundy Thursday walk-out
http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=2851

BBC dispute: Open Letter From Gerry Morrissey
http://www.bectu.org.uk/news/1861

Feel Free to Insult, Cameron, Clegg, the Queen, Pope Francis et al

Conviction of political activist for insulting the French President infringed his freedom of expression In Chamber judgment in the case of Eon v. France (application no. 26118/10), which is not final, the European Court of Human Rights held, by a majority, that there had been: a violation of Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The case concerned the applicant's conviction for insulting the President of France. During a visit by the President to the département of Mayenne, the applicant had waved a placard reading "Casse toi pov'con" ("Get lost, you sad prick"), a phrase uttered by the President himself several months previously.

The Court held that criminal penalties for conduct such as that displayed by the applicant were likely to have a chilling effect on satirical contributions to discussion of matters of public interest, such discussion being fundamental to a democratic society.
http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/webservices/content/pdf/003-4290315-5123724?TID=tdeymroupx

Motions Passed at Birmingham & Coventry Branch Meeting 12/03/13

Regional forums:
This branch/chapel welcomes the NEC's backing for NUJ regional forums and asks the NEC to prepare a timetable of meetings to launch regional forums throughout the UK and Ireland before the end of 2013.

NUJ Recruitment:
This branch/chapel urges the NEC to introduce online joining immediately as the lack of this facility is discouraging people from joining the Union.

Kevin Smith
That this branch agrees to send a message of support to the PCS campaign to defend Kevin Smith, who has been victimised by the Home Office due to his trade union activity. It further agrees to circulate information about the matter around the Trades Council/Branch and to encourage members to sign the petition here . . . .

Reminder March Branch Meeting
Tuesday 12th March
Carrs Lane Church Centre
Carrs Lane
Birmingham,  B4 7SX
6:00 pm for 6:30 start

Topics in this posting:

    BBC Unions NUJ/Bectu/Unite to Ballot for Strike Action   
    NUJ Black Members Conference 2013
    A Day Without News? Campaign
    NUJ Freelance Summit
    Historic Change for NUJ Photographers

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BBC Unions NUJ/Bectu/Unite to Ballot for Strike Action
The NUJ is re-balloting for action, this time with Bectu and Unite, following its successful strike on Monday 18th February, which pulled a range of flagship programmes off the air.

The ballot over compulsory redundancies, workload, stress and bullying and harassment – all a result of the corporation's cost-cutting programme, Delivering Quality First (DQF). closes at midday 20 March and could lead to disruption of the Easter TV and radio schedule.
Read <http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=2825>more . . . .
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NUJ Black Members Conference 2013
6th April 2013, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Headland House, 308-312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1

Bullying and harassment in the media causes untold damage to victims and their colleagues. Add race discrimination, often combined with sexism and discrimination against disabled journalists, and you have a potent mix whereby lives are destroyed and careers lost. Bullying and harassment in the media causes untold damage to victims
and their colleagues. The media also has the power to demonise Black communities with sensationalist headlines or inaccurate reporting.

Conference will also be your opportunity to put forward motions on this topic and any others you think the NUJ Black Members Council should be considering,

If you wish to register for the conference, please email lenac@nuj.org.uk by 2nd April.
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Historic Change for NUJ Photographers
For the first time in its history, the NUJ will soon have a nationally elected Photographers’ Council solely to look after the interests of lens-based journalists. Like all the NUJ’s councils and committees, it will be made up of working journalists who give up their time to help shape the NUJ to best serve its members. NUJ members who serve on committees come from all age groups, and backgrounds, but with one common purpose: to make the union work better.

 Anyone can stand – but all too often, members only find out about these opportunities when it too late to put their name forward. If you are interested in using your skills and experience to help shape the future of other photographers within the NUJ, then this is an ideal chance – whether or not you are currently active within your branch. The new council will have four meetings a year, some of which are likely to be through video-conferencing, and the others most likely in the NUJ building at Kings Cross in London.

 If you’d like an honest and straightforward chat about standing for elected positions in the NUJ, and what to do next, then get in touch by emailing: <nick@nml.uk.com> But do it soon, as nominations are already open.
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NUJ Freelance Summit
As a new wave of rights-grabbing contracts sweeps the industry, Haymarket has insisted that casuals are paid through PAYE at the same time as cutting day rates. To discuss how to tackle these issues, the NUJ is organising a Freelance Summit on Saturday, March 16 between 10am and 1:00pm.

Speakers will include: NUJ General Secretary Michelle Stanistreet; Assistant Organiser Pamela Morton; NEC Member for Freelance Tim Dawson; and NUJ Copyright Committee Chair Mike Holderness..

The venue will be NUJ HQ at 308 Gray's Inn Road, WC1X 8DP and lunch will be provided. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Anyone wishing to attend should contact the Freelance Office freelanceoffice@nuj.org.uk
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A Day Without News? Campaign -  What We Want To Achieve

The purpose of the campaign, which already has wide support across the international news media community, is:

    to draw sharper attention to the growing numbers of journalists who have been killed and injured in armed conflict, in some cases as a result of direct targeting by the belligerents;

    to develop a public diplomacy, institutional and legal agenda to combat this more effectively; and

    to investigate and collect evidence in support of prosecutable cases in this area.

The ultimate goal is for A Day Without News? to generate grassroots support within the community that will further the work of the Committee to Protect Journalists , Reporters Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, and other invaluable organizations who are dedicated to this issue. A Day Without News? is working closely with these organizations to ensure that this campaign serves their missions - hopefully by building public support through publicity; increasing pressure for change through diplomacy; and facilitating the identification, investigation and prosecution of war crimes committed against journalists.

http://adaywithoutnews.com/


Early Day Motion 1110: A Day Without News? Campaign
That this House welcomes the launch of the A Day Without News? campaign which is supported by Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Rory Peck Trust; notes that it aims to draw sharper attention to the growing number of journalists who are being killed and injured while reporting on armed conflict in some cases as a result of direct targeting by the belligerents; further notes that A Day Without News? representatives will meet with governments who have shown interest and support for the campaign while pushing for political and diplomatic efforts on behalf of journalists working in conflict areas and partnering with educational institutions and those non-governmental organisations dedicated to the issue to identify, investigate and ultimately prosecute perpetrators where media personnel have been targeted and killed; and wishes the campaign well.

Sponsors: Hoey, Kate / Corbyn, Jeremy / Cryer, John / Durkan, Mark / Field, Frank / Mitchell, Austin

<http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2012-13/1110>House of Commons: 26/02/2013

NUJ March Branch Meeting
Tuesday 12th March
Carrs Lane Church Centre
Carrs Lane
Birmingham
B4 7SX
6:00 pm for 6:30 pm start
Any apologies to branch chair:  alan.weaver1@ntlworld.com
Agenda
1) Introduction by chair/those attending
2) Minutes of February  meeting
3) Secretary/Treasurers reports
4) Branch reports
5) Up date on disputes
6) Any other business
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-  19 MPs Criticise Trinity Mirror Attack on Jobs
-  BBC Executive Accused Of Bullying
-  BBC Strike Hailed Huge Success
-  NUJ Member Rzhwan Amin Back in Manchester Where he Belongs
-  Former NUJ President Kyran Connolly Dies After Long Illness
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19 MPs Criticise Trinity Mirror Attack on Jobs
NUJ organised a series of national meetings of reps inside the Trinity Mirror group over plans to centralise many aspects of editorial operations at their titles. Management want 92 redundancies on English & Welsh titles, although they claimed a small number of new jobs would be created. Most of the redundancies are occurring in the Midlands the North-west. There was much anger over poor consultation and the threat of compulsory redundancies. The NUJ had met TM Editorial Director Neil Benson and the Head of HR. Ballots have taken place at five sites covering Birmingham, Chester, Coventry, Manchester and Merseyside. Chris Morley said that the TM Group Chapel had a lot of good reps and would be meeting again on 1st March, 2013 in London to discuss its response. Meantime whether or not  you work for Trinity Mirror, check if your MP has signed EDM 1003, if they haven't, please insist they do.

Early Day Motion 1003: Trinity Mirror Job Losses
That this House expresses deep concern at the announcement by Trinity Mirror that it intends cutting 92 editorial jobs; notes that Media Wales faces the loss of 16 job cuts, including a proposal to disband the features unit which is responsible for generating valuable Welsh-specific news content; further expresses concern at the impact of such a development on Welsh democracy; further notes that Media Wales titles have faced over a decade of cuts; and urges Trinity Mirror urgently to hold talks with the National Union of Journalists.

Sponsors: Caton, Martin/ Clwyd, Ann/ Corbyn, Jeremy/ Dobbin, Jim / Doran, Frank/ Edwards, Jonathan /Flynn, Paul / Lavery, Ian / Leech, John / Llwyd, Elfyn / McGovern, Jim  / Meale, Alan  / Morris, Grahame M / Osborne, Sandra / Owen, Albert / Ruane, Chris  /Ruddock, Joan / Williams, Hywel / Woodward, Shaun
<>  House of Commons: 31/01/2013

Put your MP to work demand they sign EDM 1003
You can contact your MP for free, through: WriteToThem.Com
http://www.writetothem.com/
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BBC Executive Accused Of Bullying
The National Union of Journalists is understood to have submitted a 100-page report to the BBC regarding allegations of bullying, harassment and intimidation at the corporation. Some 40 pages of it are believed to relate to a single, long-serving BBC employee.

Other members of BBC staff are also understood to be the subject of multiple accusations of bullying, although not on the scale of the employee in question, who is accused of bullying behaviour over a sustained period. The executive is understood to deny the allegations.

Rose's inquiry was set up by the BBC's then director general, George Entwistle, in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal in October last year.
Read more: John Plunkett, <>  The Guardian, 20/02/13
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BBC Strike Hailed Huge Success
Monday 18th February: Skeleton staffs of managers struggled to provide a threadbare service which provoked adverse comments from listeners and viewers. The action meant that Radio 4's Today programme, World at One, PM and Newsnight were forced off the air. Breakfast TV was severely disrupted.

 NUJ official pickets and supporters - up to 50 or 60 people in some centres -ensured wide public awareness of the  union's message that making compulsory redundancies while at the same time advertising posts elsewhere in the corporation is not acceptable.
Read more <>  here . . . .
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NUJ Member Rzhwan Amin Back in Manchester Where he Belongs
Rzhwan was detained by UKBA in early January, an attempt to deport Rzhwan on Wednesday 30th January was halted by legal action. Though the removal was stayed, Rzhwan remained in Immigration Detention until Monday 18th February, when a successful bail application obtained his release. Conditions of bail are very restrictive he has to wear an electronic tag and is subject to a curfew. Nonetheless Rzhwan is delighted to be back in Manchester and thanks all NUJ members who Emailed/faxed letters of protest to UKBA and Jordanian Airlines.

Rzhwan Amin Writes on Freedom
I was raised in a country where the idea of freedom of speech that had circled in my mind was, in practice, randomly forbidden without any reason. In public debates and the media real opinions were not expressed clearly but were heavily coded. Articles were often revised and key phrases changed before their publication. Over time the weight of the realisation of this predicament grew as my many attempts to express my honest opinions publicly failed. For us, as journalists in Iraq, the option of free speech was not regarded highly by ruling forces.

After the liberation of Iraq, labelled "Operation Iraqi Freedom", I was based in Kirkuk. The post-war healing period was longer than Iraqi people expected and led to many civil disorders in both Kirkuk and Baghdad including riots, political corruption, and anarchy in every sense of the word.

The conflicts between ethnic groups spread throughout the population. I still remember when the Kurds fought against the Turks in 2004 in Kirkuk and my mother told that this happened before in 1957. Arabs, Kurds, and Turks increased their efforts to gain power and thus declare control in the area. The same scenario took place in Baghdad among the Shias and the Sunnis, which led to the arbitrary sackings of academic and professional Sunnis. This included Professor Dr Naji al Tekriti and Dr Saad Alhadethi from the University of Baghdad's Philosophy Department in 2003, where I studied.
Read more: RAPAR website <>  here . . . .
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Former NUJ President Kyran Connolly Dies After Long Illness
The death has taken place after a long illness of former NUJ president and organiser Kyran Connolly. A hugely popular figure in NUJ activities of all sorts. Last year, despite being ill with cancer, Kyran attended the union's delegate meeting in Newcastle as a delegate from his beloved Book branch. The warmth of his reception from fellow-delegates reflected the deep affection the NUJ felt for Kyran, a multi-faceted individual whose sense of fun often disguised his considerable intellectual achievements.
Read more <>  here . . . .
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BBC Executive Accused Of Bullying
The National Union of Journalists is understood to have submitted a 100-page report to the BBC regarding allegations of bullying, harassment and intimidation at the corporation. Some 40 pages of it are believed to relate to a single, long-serving BBC employee.

Other members of BBC staff are also understood to be the subject of multiple accusations of bullying, although not on the scale of the employee in question, who is accused of bullying behaviour over a sustained period. The executive is understood to deny the allegations.

Rose's inquiry was set up by the BBC's then director general, George Entwistle, in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal in October last year.
Read more: John Plunkett, <> The Guardian, 20/02/13