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ANNUAL DELEGATE MEETINGBIRMINGHAM 2007

RESOLUTIONS

The following is a list of motions CARRIED (including those put or accepted by the NEC under SOC) AND MOTIONS REMITTED after debate or formally under SO4 and SO5..

ADM Matters

4

This ADM acknowledges the commitment of the NUJ to hold a future ADM in Northern Ireland and welcomes the decision by the NEC on February 9th to hold the 2008 ADM in Belfast.

This ADM instructs the NEC along with branches in Belfast and the IEC (NI) sub-committee to investigate the adequacy of accommodation and venues with suitable access for all members and to seek sponsorship where appropriate from the relevant organisations.

5

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend Rule 9a (iii) (F) to give the effect that to the principle that the union’s delegation is to the UK National Pensioners Convention’s Pensioners’ Parliament, and that the delegation will elect the union’s delegates to the NPC’s Biennial Delegate Conference.

WAGES, PAYMENTS AND CONDITIONS

6

This ADM welcomes the successes the NUJ has achieved in tackling low pay within the media industry. ADM recognises that through the NUJ’s determined action and campaigning at all levels average entry level salaries in the local newspaper industry have risen by more than 30% in the past four years.

ADM welcomes the growing co-ordination of activity over pay amongst chapels and applauds the efforts of group chapels to draw up joint claims and work together to improve pay.

ADM Birmingham 2007 1

ADM believes that ever-greater co-ordination across the whole union is the key to delivering sustained improvements in pay and conditions for all our members. ADM welcomes the pay strategy launched at the 2006/7 Pay in the Media Summits and instructs the NEC to actively pursue its implementation.

ADM instructs the NEC to organise a union wide day of action for fair pay in late 2007 and urges all sectors of the union to play an active role in such a day of action.


7

This ADM instructs the NEC to commend last year’s strike action by the chapel at the Doncaster- based South Yorkshire Newspaper Group. ADM notes that the walkout against low pay was a salutary reminder to newspaper – and other media – managements that they cannot assume that the days of anger and determination are over.

8

This ADM congratulates those newspaper chapels, which have balloted for and taken industrial action to protect jobs and pensions in the industry.

This ADM also thanks the NUJ and its officers for supporting such action and for continuing their Journalism Matters campaign.

ADM instructs the NEC to organise a union wide Day of Protest to highlight the ongoing attack on jobs, employment standards and pensions throughout the newspaper industry in the UK and Ireland.

9 (covering motions 10, 11 and 12)

This ADM notes1) The move by magazine publishers to push news content of monthly, fortnightly and weekly magazines online.

2) The similar situation in the newspaper sector where publications such as the Telegraph, Guardian and Independent are putting more content online first.

This ADM believes the impact of such moves on jobs and conditions for editorial staff can be significant.

This ADM also notes the effect this is having on the role of so-called production journalists – sub-editors, designers, chief subs and production editors – and the drive to combine the production of both web and print. The end result of this is production staff never touching a layout and only working in a content management system, which places a greater burden on designers.

This ADM instructs the NEC:

• to contact magazine and newspaper owners and seek consultation over the impact of these technologies.

• To draw up guidelines for use by chapel officials to seek to ensure that management commits to:a) Identifying the roles, skills and experience needed for online rolesb) Clarifying the pay rates such roles will receive, and providing draft

contracts of employment.


c) Providing proper training and retrainingd) Providing the most up-to-date technical infrastructure, and puts in

place adequate team structures


11

This ADM notes the rapid developments across newspapers to integrate their web and paper operations.

ADM condemns the decision by the Financial Times and the Daily Telegraph to use the cover of integration as an opportunity to shed staff, rather than increase their workforce to reflect their expanding operations.

Early moves towards integration have shown that quality journalism will only be preserved with more staff in place to deliver the multi-media agenda, backed by relevant training to meet new challenges.

This ADM welcomes integration as an exciting new opportunity for the profession, but calls on members to resist any attempts by management to reduce workforces, downgrade staff terms and conditions, or dilute the quality of work produced.

12

This ADM notes with concern the attempts by newspaper managements to introduce video journalism without proper negotiation and agreement of NUJ chapels.

This ADM reaffirms its commitment to quality journalism and congratulates newspaper chapels that defend editorial standards when managements seek to divert resources to video to the detriment of print journalism.

This ADM instructs the NEC to work with the relevant industrial council in co-ordinating the union’s response to the introduction of video journalism in the newspaper industry. Such a response should seek to develop group wide strategies aimed at achieving group wide agreements where at all possible.

This ADM instructs the NEC to give support to all chapels faced with attempts by managements to introduce video journalism to newspaper newsrooms without providing additional and adequate resources, adequate training, improved benefits and appropriate health and safety provisions.

13

This ADM notes the growing tendency for newspaper and media groups to charge users for access to the web versions of their publications, where such access often used to be provided free of charge. ADM also notes that this increase in the practice of charging has not, in most cases, been accompanied by any increase in payment to the freelances and staff who provide the material being sold;


and that freelances and staff have also gained few benefits from recent large increases in web-based advertising revenue.

ADM deplores the conduct of media employers in seeking to generate extra income from the web-based distribution of the work of staff and freelance contributors, without passing on any benefit in the form of enhanced payments.

This ADM instructs the NEC to contact media corporations and seek consultation over the right of media workers to benefit from the large profits now being generated by these corporations from using freelance and staff media workers’ material on their websites.

ADM further instructs the NEC to compile information on the growth of the web-based income of major media companies, and to circulate it to all branches and chapels, for use in organising, campaigning and negotiating.

14

ADM notes with concern the decisions taken by several media organisations in the UK to outsource parts of their operations to developing countries. In particular Reuters has transferred, in 2004, scores of jobs to Bangalore in southern India and to Singapore as part of the company’s so-called “Fast Forward” programme, designed to save £440 million a year, of which £340 million will come from job cuts.

In early 2006 the Mirror Group outsourced its library function and database system to Delhi, India, in a move to save £500,000 with a loss of 15 jobs in London and Watford. More recently the company has outsourced its circulation monitoring to Hyderabad.

ADM recognises that the growth of offshoring reflects the effect of globalisation not only on low-skill work but also across all sectors. ADM notes the response by UK corporations characterised by short-termism, a focus on cutting costs, poor management and a lack of investment.

ADM thanks the union’s newspaper sector lay and full-time officials who engaged our sister unions in India to agree common positions on a global organising strategy aimed at protecting trade unionists in both countries.

ADM believes that the union should continue to oppose offshoring as a cost-cutting measure while recognising at he same time that workers and their unions in developing economies are entitled to advance their own prosperity. The union should be opposed to protectionist policies but insist that there should be • maximum consultation with trade unions in advance of any outsourcing; • no compulsory redundancies;


• redeployment/retraining packages for NUJ members whose jobs are sent offshore.

ADM further believes that UK companies that outsource work to developing countries must comply with ILO (International Labour Organisation) core labour standards ensuring:

a decent living wage; the right to join a trade union and for the union to be recognised; a percentage of their profit to be donated to local health, education and housing projects.

ADM instructs the NEC to work (i) with TUC affiliates to put pressure on the FCO and DTI to force UK companies to adopt these standards and (ii) with relevant IFJ affiliates to agree a common approach whenever work is outsourced from one country to another, aimed at protecting members in the UK while ensuring compliance with decent labour standards abroad.

15

ADM welcomes the research report “The Changing Nature of Work” launched by the IFJ in April 2006 at the 95th ILO conference in Geneva, which raises fresh concerns over the effect on media quality as the work of journalists is changing.

The report which focuses in particular on atypical workers - freelancers, casuals, short-term workers on rolling contracts and temporary workers – found that they make up around 30% of the membership of IFJ affiliates and this rising trend was setting new challenges in the battle to maintain high-quality journalism. The report presents strong evidence that crude cost cutting and reorganisation by employers, insecurity in employment and a lower rate of pay appears to be having a negative impact on the quality of editorial content and is resulting in a decline in critical and investigative reporting. Over half of IFJ affiliates reported that the average rate of pay decreased in real terms over the past five years.

ADM commends the IFJ for undertaking this research and instructs the NEC to work with the IFJ and its relevant committees to organise a global campaign to counter and reverse the cycle of insecurity, poor wages, fall in morale and decline in quality journalism.

16

ADM congratulates all those NUJ members who have contributed over the years to the battle for equality within the union and at the workplace.


ADM recalls that, as a result of this effort, the union has well-established policies making the struggle for equality and racial justice an integral part of the aims of the union which directly affects the fundamental working conditions of all members.

ADM recognises that many of the equality issues, for example equal pay for women, disability access, maternity and childcare rights, or non-discriminatory recruitment procedures, are core industrial issues and should be treated as such.

ADM however notes with concern that many chapels, group chapels and industrial councils have failed so far to integrate these issues into their negotiating agenda. In some instances, equality issues are deemed non-industrial and simply ignored, even when raised by the union’s equalities councils.

ADM instructs the NEC and industrial councils to initiate, in cooperation with the equalities councils, an urgent overhaul of model agreements to include equality clauses. Composite A (covering motions 17 and 18 and amendments)

This ADM welcomes the number of recognition agreements achieved by the NUJ under the Fairness at Work Legislation. It further welcomes the improvements in pay and workplace conditions that have followed union recognition.

ADM is concerned though that companies are avoiding their obligations under Fairness at Work through the loophole in the law that means freelances – often doing the very same work as staff and who often were previously staff for the same companies – have no legal right to collective bargaining. ADM believes this has led to the increasing casualisation of the industry.

ADM further believes that while staff members are making progress because of the Fairness at Work legislation, freelances are being left behind.

ADM instructs the NEC to co-ordinate a campaign among relevant TUC members that have freelances as members, through the NUJ group of MPs and through general lobbying of MPs by members to try to close the loophole in the Fairness at Work legislation, giving freelances the same rights to recognition for the purposes of collective bargaining as staff have.

ADM also instructs the NEC to urge chapels to negotiate over freelance rates and conditions. ADM further instructs the NEC to investigate how staff chapels can best help freelances negotiate with managements.

19


This ADM notes the increasing practice of paying reduced ‘kill fees’ to freelance contributors, rather than the full fee for the work commissioned, where work is not used for reasons beyond the contributor’s control. ADM deplores this unfair and unprofessional practice, and instructs the NEC, in collaboration with the FIC and other relevant NUJ bodies, to mount an information campaign on the subject, directed at Commissioning Editors throughout the media.

20

This ADM welcomes the response to the NUJ Work Experience survey and instructs the NEC to use the results to campaign to have NUJ guidelines on work experience adopted as part of house agreements and by industry bodies.

22

This ADM welcomes the moves to restore a devolved government to Northern Ireland and instructs the NEC to ensure that adequate facilities are made available to journalists in any of the new institutions established in Northern Ireland.

EQUALITY

24 (covering 25)

This ADM recognises that there are too many disabled people living in poverty, and that the proportion of disabled people who are unemployed is five times higher than those without a disability.

Discrimination in employment in the media labour market is a continuing major issue and for those disabled people who are freelance workers, the pay rates are frequently at minimum wage levels.

Therefore, to raise disabled freelance members from being among the poorest paid workers, measures must be taken to address the problem of low pay and low status.

This ADM instructs the NEC to campaign with other trade unions to press the government to tackle the barriers faced by disabled people in gaining employment, and to also press the government to assist them in meeting extra costs, which every disabled person faces in day to day living.

This ADM also recognises that many disabled members find it extremely difficult to obtain employment after a period of time out of the labour market.


ADM therefore instructs the NEC to encourage employers to sign up to a policy of giving disabled workers a period of in-house training and re-establishment experience so that they can feel more confident about applying for vacancies as and when they arise.

26

This ADM recognises that disabled people are frequently portrayed in the media by use of inappropriate language.

This ADM instructs the NEC to ensure that the new terminology guidelines compiled by the DMC and available at this conference be distributed to editors, chapels, branches and all members of the NUJ so that the appropriate terminology can be used in articles/features/broadcast items etc when referring to people with disabilities.

27

This ADM celebrates the contribution that women have made to the NUJ, from the very earliest women members, including Alice Chalmers Lawford, the first woman NEC member, in 1920 to the newest women members joining today and those becoming MoCs in their chapels or standing for industrial councils, NEC etc.

ADM notes that although significant advances have been made in the struggle for women’s rights, many issues which women have fought for throughout the 20th century are still unresolved. Women over 21 have had the vote since 1928 and yet in 2006 women’s work is still undervalued and the pay gap between full-time men and women’s pay is currently 17.5%.

Women are still disadvantaged at work because they tend to be primary carers and, because of a lifetime of lower pay, gaps in full-time working etc, many women’s pensions are much worse than their male counterparts. In the home, up to one in ten women experience domestic violence each year with an incident of domestic violence taking place every six to twenty seconds.

ADM recognises and congratulates all those who have contributed to the work of the Equality Council since its inception over 30 years ago and is pleased to note that women now make up almost 50% of NUJ membership. However ADM also recognises that the NUJ’s council structures still do not reflect this numerical parity and therefore instructs the NEC to come back to next year’s ADM with a strategy for transforming this situation, including investigating the pros and cons of a woman’s seat on the NEC or reserved women’s seats on all councils etc.

28

This ADM recognises that, at a time when LGBT people’s rights in the UK are better recognised, it is


important that we stand united in condemning the erosion of LGBT rights across the world. In the last year China has shut down gay web sites, the Mayor of Moscow has banned a gay pride march in Russia, public events organised by the LGBT community in Poland have been banned and those taking part in such activities described as “deviants” by the League of Polish Families. LGBT people have been repeatedly targeted by Ugandan authorities and the Vatican, along with other religious groupings, has continued to demand the removal of civil rights and use dehumanising language when referring to the gay community. This ADM notes that there is a rising climate of prejudice, which provides a basis for violence. This has been demonstrated by the murder of gay activists in Jamaica and the recent opposition, by Jews and Muslims alike, to a gay rights rally in Jerusalem when Israeli police discovered a bomb carrying the message “sodomites out”.

This ADM instructs the NEC to continue to uphold the right of LGBT people to live in peace and not to be criminalised, tortured or ill-treated because of their sexuality and to support the work of the Amnesty International LGBT Network.

29

As the NUJ starts celebrating its 100 years of existence, ADM notes with anger that despite the long campaign by the BMC and its predecessor the Race Relations Working Party to fight discrimination in employment practices, the print industry remains severely unrepresentative of Britain’s ethnically diverse society.

Surveys by the Working Lives Research Institute and MORI revealed what the NUJ has been saying for decades, namely that the profession was dominated by white people and that there was a prevalence of racism. The main finding is that only 5% of those in print and publishing are from ethnic minorities and in journalism itself, the statistic is even lower.

ADM believes that if this problem isn’t tackled newspapers risk failing to understand the issues and reflect what’s actually happening in our towns and cities.

ADM is dismayed that editors who responded to the survey continue to complain about the lack of applications from ethnic minorities although the MORI survey showed a greater proportion (28%) than the rest of the general population (15%) said they had considered this career path.

ADM equally welcome a previous report by the Society of Editors, which reached similar findings and concluded that “changing the complexion of the newsroom is a fundamental challenge that will require commitment and a structured approach driven consistently from the top”.

ADM instructs the NEC and the BMC to discuss with the Society of Editors, in particular its training committee, how to engage the industry in making Black


and minority ethnic journalists’ recruitment into print journalism one of their top priorities and keep it there.

30

ADM notes asylum seekers and undocumented migrants remain one of the most vulnerable sections of our society. ADM further notes that the roll call of death of the 221 asylum seekers and migrants who have died either in the UK or attempting to reach the UK in the past seventeen years has been published by The Institute of Race Relations.

ADM is concerned that for the last five years there have been a number of deaths (suicides and racially motivated murders) in main dispersal areas such as Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol. And that eight asylum seekers/migrant workers have died as a result of racially motivated attacks in other parts of the country.

ADM has for many years attempted to expose some tabloid newspapers’ acceptance of the belief that the entry of asylum seekers constitutes a threat to our social fabric, social services, housing, health, education, security, and of course, good race relations and to make NUJ members aware of the harm done by a coverage that is intentionally racist, inflammatory, and a violation of most journalistic ethics taught at our journalism schools and centres.

As the NUJ is celebrating its centenary, ADM is proud of the union’s long record on welcoming into membership and fighting on the side of asylum seekers in Britain and in Ireland. ADM is particularly proud of the role that the BMC, and its predecessor, the Race Relations Working Party, have played over many years in making the union take up the plight of refugees and asylum seekers.

ADM instructs the NEC to continue working with its Black Members’ Council in fighting to eradicate the exaggerated and racist coverage of refugees and asylum seekers in some media. ADM further instructs the NEC to help the BMC organise a conference of all the union’s asylum seekers during centenary year so they can determine how best to organise themselves within and outside the union.

INTERNATIONAL

32

This ADM views with extreme concern the ongoing abuse and violation of the human rights of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay and other such detention camps.

ADM strongly condemns the indefinite detention of British subjects and of those who, before their capture, had been living in the UK.


ADM is aware of the suffering and hardship of their struggling families and demands the immediate release of all detainees in order to end this.

ADM instructs the NEC to co-operate with campaigns and initiatives whose objective is to close down the camp, and to issue a strong statement attacking the systematic violation of human rights by the US Military.

ADM applauds the work done by Amnesty International and others to draw public attention to what is happening at the Guantanamo detention centre and exert pressure to have it closed down.

ADM calls upon the NEC to urge the TUC and affiliated unions to lobby the British and US governments to close Guantanamo Bay and, pending such closure, immediately end the abuse and unfair treatment of detainees.

33

ADM condemns the continued jailing of 20 journalists in Ethiopia, most of whom were arrested during the violent suppression of anti-government riot following the November 2005 election.

Many of these journalists are charged with treason and could face possible death sentences or life imprisonment. ADM notes that the IFJ-affiliate, the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association (EFJA) is completely disbanded and most independents journalists have gone underground – about 100 journalists are in exile, including EFJA President Kifle Mulat.

ADM joins the call made internationally to the African Union Chairperson, President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, and the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Alpha Omar Konare, to pressure the Ethiopian government to release all detained journalists unconditionally.

ADM instructs the NEC to actively support the campaign to free all journalists in African prisons launched in September by the IFJ, including the involvement of the NUJ’s Parliamentary Group.


34

This ADM notes with dismay the continuing and escalating oppression of trade union members and their leaders in Zimbabwe during the current Mugabe dictatorship and its consequent human rights violations. This ADM instructs the NEC to take all possible practical steps to support our fellow journalists and the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists in Zimbabwe.

35 covers 36

This ADM notes that the situation for journalists is not improving in China and welcomes the IFJ’s condemnation of “China’s horrific record of violence against journalists and (its) oppression of press freedoms”.

ADM further notes that the IFJ and Amnesty International have condemned Yahoo! for the company’s role in the jailing of the Chinese journalist Shi Tao. According to the IFJ, Yahoo!’s action was a contribution to “press freedom abuses” by the Chinese government.

ADM applauds the boycott of Yahoo!’s mailing list service by the New Media Industrial Council (NMIC) but notes that a number of other bodies within the union continue to use this service for union-related business, despite the easy availability of less contentious alternatives.

ADM notes the response from Yahoo! of 13 June 2006 in which the company’s Regional Vice President stated that the company intended to be a leader in the dialogue about the conflict between companies’ stated beliefs’ and local laws that force them to go against those beliefs;

ADM further notes the failure of Yahoo! to play any meaningful role in the Internet Governance Forum in Athens at the end of October, apparently passing up a perfect opportunity to provide the leadership they claimed to wish to provide;

However, ADM notes with interest ongoing talks between major Internet companies, including Yahoo!, and a range of human rights and freedom of speech organisations with a view to establishing international principles for the industry.

ADM instructs the NEC to work with the IFJ and EFJ to step up the campaign for freedom of speech online and to provide the leadership in the debate that the companies have failed to provide.

Composite B – covers motion 37, 38 and amendments


ADM condemns the savage, pre-planned attack on Lebanon by Israel. ADM notes that the vast majority of those killed in 2006 have been Lebanese together with Palestinians in the Israeli occupied territories.

This ADM condemns the slaughter of civilians by Israeli troops in Gaza and the IDF’s continued attacks inside Lebanon following the defeat of its army by Hezbollah.

This ADM calls for the end of Israeli aggression in Gaza and other occupied territories.

This ADM calls for a boycott of Israeli goods similar to those boycotts in the struggles against apartheid South Africa led by trade unions and the TUC to demand sanctions be imposed on Israel by the British government and the United Nations.

This ADM instructs the NEC to support organisations including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Jews for Justice for Palestinians and the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding and continue supporting the programme of safety training and union building set out by the IFJ with its affiliate, the Syndicate of Palestinian Journalists.

ADM encourages branches to find ways to support their Palestinian colleagues, noting as an example the ‘Reporting under Occupation’ meeting organised by the Oxford branch, which gave a platform to Al Hayat’s West Bank correspondent to explain the dangers, restrictions and limitations faced by Palestinian – and to a lesser extent non-Palestinian – journalists operating in the West Bank and Gaza.

39

This ADM instructs the NEC to work with the EFJ and the two IFJ Turkish affiliates to campaign for freedom of expression in Turkey, where journalists, novelists and other writers are regularly being put on trial for what they have written.

40

This ADM recognises the policies of the European Union (EU) institutions have a large and increasing impact on our daily lives. These policies are shaped in large part by the formidable influence of Brussels lobbyists. Because of the complex nature of Europe’s legislative process, media specialising in EU affairs have emerged to help inform the public, policy-makers and journalists working for mainstream media on developing policy debates.

Several of these EU specialist media are staffed by members of NUJ Brussels branch. While recognising the need for such media and the legitimate role of lobbyists, this ADM is concerned that some industry lobbyists target EU


specialist media with financial sponsorship in order to shape the presentation of policy debate in their interests.

This ADM is concerned that some of these specialist media are financially over-dependent on lobby groups that there is a lack of transparency on lobbyists’ relations with media and that journalists are unduly pressured to serve lobby interests.

Noting the aspirations of the 2004 International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)-sponsored Code of Conduct for Journalism and Media in Brussels, supported by the NUJ and agreed by the Brussels community of journalists, this ADM further believes that there is potential for greater self-regulation of the EU specialist media and therefore instructs the NEC to work with the IFJ to investigate:

(1) the extent of the problem of EU specialist media being financially over-dependent on lobby groups, with the subsequent pressure on journalists, and to recommend necessary actions (2) the feasibility of establishing a campaign to encourage EU specialist media to sign up to the above code of conduct (3) the creation of a system to request a voluntary annual report from those who do sign up (explaining their implementation of the code’s standards, in particular on employee rights, and setting out revenue sources in as much detail as possible), verifying these reports, and establishing a list of EU specialist media conforming to the code.

This ADM believes that such an investigation and pilot test of the campaign, in Brussels, would be a sound basis for a broader initiative taking in the UK, Ireland and the remainder of continental Europe.

41

This ADM applauds the advances made by the Venezuelan people and government in redistributing the country’s wealth and, especially, in democratising the media in spite of a concerted and virulent campaign of hostility from the owners of the private media.

ADM notes that the past year has seen a number of serious journalistic attempts in the British media to investigate and portray fairly the important developments in Venezuela. ADM also notes the increasing readiness of some broadcast and print outlets to accept criticism and even publicly apologise when it is pointed out that they have failed to live up to basic journalistic standards. However, ADM also notes that most coverage of Venezuela in this country is still badly affected by:


a) the biased and unreliable nature of most of the sources available, including most of the private Venezuelan media and the international news agencies that draw heavily on these; b) the generally low level of reliable information available to journalists about Venezuela; c) a combination of prejudice and hostility that can colour the editorial judgement of some of those commissioning or delivering coverage of Venezuela; d) deliberate attempts at spreading disinformation about Venezuela, for example encouraging unjustified stereotypes of the Venezuelan president as a dictator who is repressing the local media.

Therefore ADM instructs the NEC to

a) build solidarity with the new progressive media outlets in Venezuela, such as television stations Vive, Telesur and Avila, websites aporrea.org and venezuelanalysis.com and newspaper Diario Vea.

b) In conjunction with Hands Off Venezuela, help make available to journalists reliable information about what is happening in the country and organise appropriate forums where journalists can discuss the issues involved in providing fair and accurate coverage of Venezuela;

c) Ask the General Secretary, where appropriate, to complain to the relevant publisher or broadcaster over inaccurate coverage of Venezuelan affairs.

42

ADM congratulates all NUJ members who worked hard to deliver the IFJ’s EU India Project: Building Paths to equality in Journalism.

ADM believes that such a programme involving seminars, training on communications and campaigning and visits, has played a huge role in pushing gender equality issues to the top of the agenda of journalists unions and media organisations in India.

ADM notes that issues faced by Indian women journalists are no different than those faced by women journalists the world over, namely the fight for equal status, no discrimination in recruitment against sexual harassment, equal pay for work of equal value, fair portrayal of women and the fight against stereotypes, participation in decision making in unions and at workplaces and acceptance of women leadership.

ADM welcomes the project action plan for campaigning on gender equality that resulted from these meetings and instructs the NEC to give support to any follow up that will implement these plans and build gender councils and women’s networks within sister unions in India. 43


ADM is appalled that its sister union in Pakistan, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has had to fight for six years to implement a wage rise agreed with the newspapers employers back in October 2001.

The settlement set out in the Seventh Wage Board decision which was back dated to 2000, was enshrined in the Newspapers Employers Act (Condition of Service) 1973, and passed by the National Assembly. However, these wages are still not being paid, and the government of Pakistan has done nothing to ensure the economic conditions for journalists’ improvement.

ADM commends the PFUJ and its members for their determination to pressure the government of Pakistan through numerous lobbies, strikes and sit-ins to step in and force the employers to implement the award.

ADM notes the participation of the NUJ in the international campaign organised by the IFJ and instructs the NEC to continue giving support to the PFUJ and making representation to the Government of Pakistan until the wage award is implemented.

MEDIA FREEDOM

Composite C (covering motions 44 and 185)

This ADM recognises the awful fact that while it is the inexcusable deaths of journalists sent to cover events abroad that often make the headlines, the higher tolls occur among reporters and photographers in their home countries.

Similarly, acts of aggression, violence, intimidation and unlawful seizure of material are also higher among reporters and photographers in their home countries, especially those working in human rights and investigative areas, or who focus on groups that the government is also investigating, or in some cases investigations of the authorities themselves.

ADM also notes that discussions on safety for journalists tend to focus on those sent to war zones or other hazardous situations abroad, and are not recognising the unfortunate recent rise of acts of violence and aggression against journalists, male and female, who are simply doing their daily work in the UK and Ireland and the rest of Europe.

ADM applauds the campaigning work of the NUJ internationally for press freedom and deplores the attacks by the state and police on journalists in Britain.

ADM instructs the NEC in conjunction with the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, to launch a campaign to publicise physical attacks on journalists and breaches of agreements and guidelines by police in Britain.


ADM instructs the NEC to examine cases and establish training guidelines for journalists about how to protect themselves individually and collectively against police provocation while working in the field.

While recognising that the NUJ has provided training to help journalists and photographers to work more safely in cases where they are covering demonstrations, ADM believes it is time to expand this training.

Therefore ADM instructs the NEC, in co-operation with the International News Safety Institute, and the NUJ’s Freelance Industrial Council, Equality and Black Members councils, to investigate how to expand this training to provide more general safety training, as well as a handbook, for reporters and photographers in all the regions and countries where the NUJ has members. ADM also instructs the NEC to look at the possibility of developing more gender-specific training for women.

46

This ADM expresses its grave concern at the increasing violence directed against journalists worldwide, in the attempt to intimidate or prevent them from pursuing their professional work. ADM notes and deplores, among many other examples, the tragic death of leading investigative journalists Anna Politkovskaya in Russia and the shooting of an Indymedia journalist in Oaxaca, Mexico. This ADM urges all members to step up their involvement in international campaigns for press and media freedom, and instructs the NEC to sustain and increase the valuable work of the NUJ in campaigning against the suppression and silencing of journalists who seek to expose the abuse of power, wherever it arises.

47

ADM condemns the increased attacks and bullying by Western government authorities and EU institutions on whistleblowers in attempts to cover up illegal or damaging actions.

ADM notes the global crackdown on investigative journalism which is leading countries like the US, the UK and Denmark that are supposed to be model of democracy stifling independent journalism and defending their actions in the name of protecting public safety or “fighting the war against terror”.

While others, like Germany and the Netherlands, are caught out snooping on media and tapping the telephones of journalists as well as aggressive attempts to control the media. ADM believes that when governments bully their journalists, censor the media and persecute whistleblowers, they seriously damage the watchdog role of journalism.


ADM instructs the NEC to continue to support the IFJ’s campaigns for open government and in defence against the erosion of civil liberties and the public’s right to know.

48

ADM congratulates the national union for making Journalism Matters a major campaign and commends all those who have rallied behind the banner to spread the fight to defend local and national news services.

ADM condemns the move by Northcliffe Newspapers to uproot The Citizen from its home in Gloucester and effectively merge it with its rival Gloucestershire Echo in Cheltenham, leaving behind a city of 120,000 people to be covered by three journalists.

ADM recognises this campaign is vital to defend effective democracy and accountability. It also offers an opportunity to build the professional confidence of NUJ members, strengthen chapels, group chapels and branches and could, in this centenary year, help the NUJ regain its rightful status at the heart of the local community.

ADM instructs the NEC to work with NAIC to help and encourage local news chapels, group chapels and branches, to develop local strategies aimed at raising awareness within newsrooms and among the public of the importance of properly resourced local news services.

These could include: 1) conducting an internal audit of how effectively chapel members feel they and their newsroom serve the local community – do they have the time and resources to find out what is really going on in their schools and colleges, health trusts, councils etc?

2) conducting an external audit of how effectively the local community feel they are served by local news services – e.g. by requesting interviews with or sending questionnaires to some members of representative bodies such as carers’ associations, PTAs, general practitioner bodies, teachers unions, nursing organizations, councillors, the trades council and chambers of commerce.

3) Using the results of these audits to build broad-based local campaigns and seek ways to open up a discussion of the issues, including in the local press and radio.

51

This ADM notes the publication by the Irish Government of the Privacy & Defamation Bills


2006. ADM instructs the NEC and IEC to accelerate their campaign against the draconian Privacy Bill.

53

This ADM expresses its concern at the conduct of the organisers of the Redwatch website, in Scotland and elsewhere, in taking images from the websites of NUJ activists and others with a view to inciting hostility against some of the individuals pictured.

ADM welcomes the steps already taken by the General Secretary to make sure that the Redwatch website is monitored, and to contact and support members who are targeted by it.

ADM instructs the NEC to investigate the possibility of legal action against these websites, for the abuse of members’ material without licence and for possible incitement to violence.

ADM congratulates the NEC and the general secretary for their efforts, with the TUC, in trying to persuade the Government to take action to close down Redwatch and its associated sites. ADM further instructs the NEC to renew its efforts to have Redwatch closed down, including notifying branches and chapels of the national campaign, led by Searchlight magazine, calling for Redwatch to be shut down.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS

56 (covers 57)

This ADM recognises the onslaught of privatisation and deregulation by both Conservative and New Labour governments and the need for trade unions to rebuild their organisations to defend working people’s livelihoods and rights.

This ADM notes the success of two trade union solidarity initiatives, the RMT’s shop steward conference last October and the Organising for Fighting Unions Conference held in November.

ADM instructs the NEC to campaign in conjunction with other unions in support of the principles adopted by these conferences.

ADM further instructs the NEC to give top priority to building our own networks – above all by strengthening our group chapels - in order to rebuild our own organisation to enable it to best defend its members and play a full role in the wider trade union movement.

58

ADM congratulates all those who organised the Move On Up event last October, which was attended by over 200 experienced Black and minority


ethnic professionals – journalists and broadcasting technicians – looking for new opportunities in the radio industry.

ADM is pleased that the BMC worked with BECTU Black members to ensure the success of a unique event where well over 600 interviews were given over the course of the day by 70 industry executives from a broad range of radio stations including BBC 1,2,3,4 and 5, the BBC Asian Network and Radio 1Xtra as well as Gcap, Capital, Choice FM, Chrysalis and LBC.

ADM believes that this simple idea proved a great opportunity for Black and minority ethnic professionals to make the right connections to help them break through to a higher level and should be extended to other sectors where there are still barriers to the recruitment of Black journalists.

ADM instructs the NEC to work with the BMC to organise similar events in other sectors.

59

ADM notes that:

1) The 20th century was the hottest century for a millennium and the 1990s was the hottest decade. The level of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere is up one third on that of pre-industrial times: a level higher than it has been for at least 400,000 years.

2) The evidence that human activity is changing the climate is now overwhelming. The UN intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that future greenhouse gas emissions are likely to increase average global temperatures by between 1.4C and 5.8C this century.

3) Continued global warming threatens to undermine or even reverse human progress as flooding, drought, disease and ecological disruption increasingly affects the world’s population. Ultimately run-away climate change threatens a global catastrophe of almost unimaginable scale.

ADM believes that:

1) There is an urgent need to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change, especially CO2, by replacing fossil fuels with alternative, renewable forms of energy.

2) To this end, there is an urgent need for an international emissions reductions treaty that will reduce total global emissions to a level that will not dangerously destabilise global climate. The Kyoto Agreement does not go nearly far enough but is a critical first step. The decision by the US government – the world’s biggest polluter – not to ratify the treaty undermines the global effort to combat climate change and should be condemned.


3) The UK government also needs to do more to cut national emissions of greenhouse gases. UK CO2 emissions have risen for the last two years.

4) Fossil fuel multinationals that put their own short-term profit before the welfare of the planet should be condemned along with the US administration whose policies on climate change and energy they have done so much to influence.

ADM instructs the NEC to ballot the membership over affiliation to the Campaign for Climate Change, calling for a yes vote.

60

This ADM welcomes the creation of the Exiled Journalists’ Network, and instructs the NEC to support the creation of a Press Freedom House to provide temporary accommodation for exiled journalists when they arrive in this country while they seek refugee status.

This ADM also encourages members to contribute to the Emergency Relief Fund for exiled journalists.

61

ADM notes that it is TUC policy to organise a national demonstration in defence of the NHS and instructs the NEC to support, publicise and build for this and any other initiative campaigning for national and local protests against health cuts.

ADM instructs the NEC to give strong support to the Keep Our NHS Public campaign. ADM resolves to save the expense of an affiliation ballot and instructs the NEC to donate to KONP a sum that reflects the money thus saved.

ADM further instructs the NEC to put pressure on the TUC to implement its policy of holding a national demonstration against health cuts.

62 This ADM demands justice for the 24 building workers 4 convicted on conspiracy and other charges following the 1972 building workers’ strike (the ‘Shrewsbury pickets’).

ADM notes that one of the 24, Des Warren, was jailed for three years and subject to ‘liquid cosh’ drugs that hastened his death.

ADM welcomes the formation of the Justice for the Shrewsbury Pickets organisation in Liverpool in August 2006, and instructs the NEC to work with this group in pursuit of a public inquiry into


the pickets’ trial and their victimisation by the state.

FINANCE

63

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend Rule 4 to give effect to the principle that annual subscriptions shall be increased by the following amounts:


Sterling:Grade 1 – £5.68 Grade 2 – £7.00Grade 3 – £9.60

Euro rate:Grade 1 – €12Grade 2 – €15Grade 3 – €18

67

This ADM notes the complaints from members in the New Media sector that subs have been unfairly placed at the highest level, regardless of the extreme variations in pay in the sector. This ADM also notes the extreme difficulty of recruiting in workplaces with no history of trade unionism, given such a high rate of subs.

Furthermore, this ADM notes that colleagues in the New Media earning as little as £15,000 pay more in subs than their colleagues in the provincial newspaper sector, even with the benefit of the 1% rule. (Note: Grade 1 annual rate=£144.24.)

This has led to situations where members working in New Media who wish to be part of the sector are not doing so because of the financial implications.

Mindful of the potential impact on the union’s finances and the possibility that members might change sector just to save money, this ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules to give effect to the following principles:

members in New Media departments of established media workplaces should normally pay subs at the same rate as their colleagues.

members in “green field” sites, i.e. those established independently and not as subsidiaries of established media companies, should pay subs at grade 1.

70

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules, with specific reference to Rule 4, to give effect to the following principles that student members in the UK shall

(i) pay a £25 contribution to cover the full duration of their course;

(ii) students be permitted to pay their subs via credit card, Paypal or other web methods and be able to submit photos for press cards via the internet or email.


(iii) receive a 25% discount on their first year’s full membership contribution if they apply within 12 months of completing the course for which they were granted student membership.

72

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules, with specific reference to Rule 4, to give effect to the principle that full members shall also be able to pay contributions by either direct debit or by credit card and that in such cases they are not required to pay in advance.

74

ADM instructs the NEC to investigate the availability of libel/defamation insurance policies for freelance members of NUJ in the Republic of Ireland.

75

This ADM instructs the NEC to investigate the possibility of providing a handbook or electronic guidance for branch treasurers on the effective control of branch finances.

ORGANISATION PART ONE

Structure

76

This ADM recognises that technological convergence, integration and the development of new technologies, alongside changes in the nature of media ownership, are increasingly breaking down the distinctions between different sectors of the media industry.

In light of these far-reaching changes ADM instructs the NEC to review the NUJ’s lay structures to ensure the union is best able to respond to industrial priorities and bring any proposals arising from such a review to the 2008 ADM.

Staff

77

ADM reaffirms the setting up of a comprehensive staff review agreed at ADM 2005, which includes regular reports to ADM with regard to its implementation.

ADM notes the continuous growth in membership in recent years, which allowed the union to increase its staffing levels and appoint new organising


staff, but recognises that such an increase in resources may not be always available.

ADM also recognises that growth in membership has by and large resulted in increased, and at times, intolerable workload for current staff.

ADM believes that annual staff reviews should take into account variations in income and the increasing demands in all sectors when considering new areas for staffing.

ADM instructs the General Secretary and NEC to ensure that

(i) the cost of staffing and administration does not compromise the union’s ability to campaign effectively and organise industrially and that ii) changes in staff are subject to rigorous planning primarily based on the union’s capacity to service its sectors. 79

This ADM recognises the progress made in developing the campaigning work of the NUJ in Wales and acknowledges the influence that the union in Wales has had on the National Assembly for Wales as the Assembly gains increased economic, cultural and legislative powers through the process of devolution.

In order to further these efforts, ADM instructs the NEC to work with the General Secretary and the Wales Council in examining how the union might fund the work of a full time NUJ member of staff for Wales.

Councils

86

This ADM instructs the NEC to change the rules to give effect to the principle that the NUJ Wales Council should be given executive status so that it has parity with the Scottish Executive Council and the Irish Executive Council within the structures of the union.

Task Force

90

This ADM recognises the challenges that the union will have to meet as working practices throughout the industry are affected by the rapid implementation of multi-media technology. ADM declares that there is an urgent need for the union to develop strategies to meet these challenges.


ADM congratulates NUJ chapels, especially those in national newspapers that have responded to them with determined action to achieve the best possible earnings and conditions for our members.

ADM thanks NEC and the officials concerned for producing its informative preliminary report in a relatively short time.

ADM resolves to establish at this conference an ADM Commission on Multi-Media Working. It shall consist of: four members elected at this ADM (which shall not include NEC members), two from the NEC and one from the IEC.

ADM believes that those put forward for election to the commission should be members either with experience of multimedia working or from offices where it is being implemented.

The commission will conduct an intensive study into all union-related aspects of multi-media working. It will invite evidence or information from all industrial and other national Councils, chapels and branches, and individual members. It may conduct meetings around Britain and Ireland.

The Commission shall consider the areas of training, health and safety AND the use of freelances and of ‘user-generated content’ as well as the wages and conditions of members. It shall produce a report within four months. This report shall include a model agreement on multi-media working for chapels as well as other recommendations for union policies and strategies.

91

This ADM instructs the NEC to review the rapid developments taking place in the newspaper industry and elsewhere – with the use of technical change to justify the sacking of deskilled journalists – to enable the NUJ to shape a strategy that helps counter the employers tactics and deals with new media integration.

The employers’ actions have meant attacks on journalistic staff numbers and the undermining of the quality of newspapers which if allowed to continue will seriously damage the prospects of the NUJ’s ability to improve wages and conditions of our members.

One of the main conclusions of the employers has been a wildly exaggerated view of the use of Information technology.

Any strategy will need to look at the use of IT and its consequences on hard copy and how we develop recruitment and organisation in this field.


93

This ADM notes a lack of clarity in the rules regarding the formation of industrial branches. Rule 13(m) states that the “NEC shall encourage the formation of industrial branches in areas where there are a substantial number of members working in a specific industrial sector...” however, Rule 7 (b) states that the NEC may create, divide or merge branches in consultation with the branches affected.

ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules to give effect to the principle that new industrial branches may be formed following a consultation period defined by the NEC.

95

This ADM notes that under Rule 3 (f) “a member changing employment, address or industrial sector shall immediately notify the union’s head office in London or the union’s Irish office, which will notify the relevant branch secretaries.”

Most branches are not notified of such changes unless they request a new membership list. Regular electronic updates from head office are now possible and would allow for prompt notification to branches of membership changes. This would alert branches when a member dies so that they can send condolences and avoid sending further communications, which may distress relatives. It will also enable branches to keep up to date with changes in members’ contact details and thus communicate efficiently with current members and avoid communications to those who have either left the branch or ceased being members of the union. This ADM instructs the NEC to ensure the union’s membership department informs the relevant branch secretaries by regular electronic updates when members notify their changes to head office.


Chapels

96 ADM recognises that many members are not fully engaged in the democratic life of the union. It notes that a majority of members do not participate in debating motions to be submitted to ADM or in electing delegates to ADM.

ADM notes that, for many staff members, their main centre of union activity is naturally likely to be their chapel, rather than their branch. ADM also notes that, in areas without functioning branches, all members are excluded from the union’s internal democracy.

ADM welcomes work undertaken to implement the 2006 ADM resolution to look for ways of reinvigorating branch structures. However, it notes that branches continue to be poorly attended in many areas. It also notes the considerable efforts made by union activists simply to keep branch structures functioning, which could perhaps be put to more productive purpose.

ADM believes that, in the longer-term, new, additional ways will need to be found to broaden the union’s democracy. It believes that bringing together members into branches on the basis of their geographical place of residence may not necessarily be the most appropriate structure in the future.

ADM instructs NEC

• to research the implications of granting chapels the right to send delegates to ADM and to propose ADM motions. • in conjunction with Freelance Industrial Council, to explore new structures to bring together freelances and other isolated members without chapels, particularly in places without functioning branches.

97

This ADM recalls the statement of Daily Mail bosses that the NUJ would “wither on the vine” when personal contracts were introduced and derecognition hit the national newspaper industry.

This ADM notes that over the past few years the NUJ has:

• Won back recognition in a number of UK national newspapers • Significantly increased membership throughout the UK national newspaper sector • Secured new agreements on issues such as hours, pay, sabbaticals, training and increased holidays as a result of its proactive work in the sector.


ADM congratulates journalists at the Daily/Sunday Telegraph for their magnificent stand in defence of journalists and journalism during the moves towards an integrated newsroom.

ADM also applauds the chapels at The Guardian for their historic parity deal for website journalists and the chapel at Express Newspapers/Daily Star for their campaign against job cuts.

ADM welcomes the increasing links being built between chapels representing newspaper and new media workers on UK national news titles. ADM believes increased links should also be built with freelances and casuals working in the sector.

This ADM instructs the NEC to establish a UK national newspapers chapel M/FoCs/ Freelance Reps network with representatives from the UK and Ireland with adequate resources to build greater co-ordination within the sector.

This ADM also notes success in winning recognition at some regional and local newspapers.

This ADM further instructs the NEC to establish a UK regional and local newspapers chapel M/FoCs/Freelance Reps network with representatives from the UK and Ireland with adequate resources to build greater co-ordination and links between NUJ representatives in regional and local newspapers.

Composite D (covering motions 98,99 and amendment)

ADM welcomes the launch of the 2nd union-wide reps survey in October 2006.

ADM believes that the overall priority of the NUJ is to organise and grow and that it should continue to place reps at the heart of the union’s effort to build and strengthen our collective voice in every workplace.

ADM believes that workplace organisation is the key to delivering industrial strength and that key to workplace organisation are our reps.

ADM welcomes the enormous work being done by the union to strengthen the skills of chapel reps, in particular:

1) the production and distribution of the handbook, leaflets, posters and other resources for reps2) an increase in providing high quality trade union training3) the regionalisation of pay in the media summits

ADM instructs the NEC to make building greater support for reps one of its priority campaigns for 2007.

ADM believes such a campaign should include:


1. An online version of the Reps Manual regularly updated

2. Building and publicising a facility for reps to get company-specific information for bargaining purposes

3. A campaign to highlight reps rights to paid time off4. More tailored training opportunities5. Improving membership information6. The development of the NUJ Payline facility7. Model letters and clauses around key issues such as pensions, union

facilities, training and rights to information for collective bargaining.8. A campaign to encourage more members to become workplace reps.9. To launch new group chapels where necessary, and strengthen the

existing ones.

ADM further instructs the NEC to involve the NUJ parliamentary group to make the case for statutory rights to paid facility time and facilities for union reps.

100

ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules to give effect to the principle that the position of Union Learning Rep (ULR) be given a similar status to that of other chapel and branch officers.

101

ADM condemns The Voice management for attempting to smash the NUJ chapel only months after the union negotiated recognition and a new house agreement. This is not surprising since for the last twenty years, the former Voice management fought hard against the union and sacked generations of activists.

ADM notes with anger that the chapel’s Deputy MOC was made redundant after the section she worked on was cut only to be re-launched after her departure.

ADM believes that the outcome at the Voice will have a huge effect in deterring NUJ activists in the Black press from being active with far reaching consequences for the whole sector.

ADM instructs the NEC to review its organisation in the Black media and work with the BMC and Newspapers and Agencies Industrial Council to seek to ensure that NUJ members who lead our chapel organisation are protected against vicious and vindictive managements.


GOVERNMENT POLICIES

Composite E (covers LNM 14 and 19)

Alan Johnston

ADM condemns the kidnapping of BBC journalist Alan Johnston in Gaza, now in its fifth week.

ADM notes the outpouring of support from journalists and ordinary Palestinians demanding Alan’s release.

This conference thanks all Palestinian journalists who have demanded the safe return of our missing Gaza correspondent and fellow NUJ member. “Free Alan” has become the slogan uniting many Palestinian factions and rival organisations.

ADM applauds the action taken by our sister union in Palestine, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, and the role played by their President Naim Tubassi, in organising journalists in demonstrations, sit-ins, strikes and boycotts in support of Alan.

ADM abhors any attempts by armed factions to harass journalists and limit our colleagues’ freedom to report. Conference endorses the view of Palestinian journalists that the abduction of Alan Johnston is an attack on the right of all to report the struggles of the Palestinian people truthfully and in safety.

ADM is concerned that, despite these actions and the robust campaign by the BBC, the Government and Palestinian security forces have so far failed to carry out their promises to do all they can to free Alan.

ADM thanks the IFJ, EFJ and sister organisations that have joined the protest to force Alan’s release.

We also congratulate the NUJ for the efforts it has made to establish Anan’s whereabouts and secure his release.

ADM instructs the NEC to step-up the campaign as a high priority until Alan is freed, and do all in its power to mount a high profile campaign in the UK and internationally to demand Alan Johnston’s immediate and safe release.

Composite F (covers motions 102, 103 and amendments)

This ADM notes with sadness and anger the findings of the Oxfordshire Coroner that NUJ member and ITN journalist Terry Lloyd was unlawfully killed by US soldiers in Iraq. ADM believes the killing is a war crime.


This ADM further notes the continued targeting of journalists by coalition armed forces in Iraq.

ADM notes the wholly unsatisfactory investigation conducted by the Pentagon, which concluded that US forces followed their “rules of engagement.”

This ADM welcomes the campaign run by the NUJ and thanks the NUJ Parliamentary Group for their work in helping to highlight the union’s concerns over Terry Lloyd’s killing and the need for an inquest.

ADM notes that the Coroner has subsequently written to the Attorney General and DPP setting out the case for further action to bring Terry Lloyd’s killers to justice.

This ADM reaffirms its call for justice for Terry and his family and instructs the NEC to continue to raise through all available means the need to tackle impunity and seek justice in this matter and calls on the UK government to make strenuous efforts to bring legal action against those who carried out the attack and their commanders.

ADM notes that Terry’s death is the latest in a long line of killings of media workers.

ADM welcomes the efforts of the NUJ to engage with the UK government, TUC, IFJ and media freedom organisations to put the question of the killing of journalists and the impunity with which they are killed higher on the political agenda and instructs the General Secretary to make the question of Safety of Journalists a priority international campaign for the NUJ over the next twelve months.

This ADM instructs the NEC to campaign for the extradition of the soldiers and their commanding officers who were responsible for Mr Lloyd’s death to stand trial.

Composite G (covers motion 105, 106 and amendments)

Northern Ireland

This ADM acknowledges the continuing threat, including death threats, to some journalists working in Northern Ireland

A journalist working for the Sunday World has been advised by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) that they are under serious threat and should apply for the Key Person Protection Scheme (KPPS).


ADM condemns the decision by British Government Northern Ireland Office Minister, Paul Goggins, not to give the journalist access to the KPPS scheme in spite of international obligations to protect journalists.

ADM notes that 28th September 2006 was the 5th anniversary of the murder of Sunday World reporter Martin O’Hagan and still no prosecutions.

ADM believes that the outcome of the inquest in December 2006 into the murder of Martin O’Hagan leaves many questions unanswered.

In view of the findings in a report by the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman on collusion between some members of the police and a loyalist paramilitary group, ADM instructs the IEC/NEC to make further representations to the British and Irish governments in order to progress the investigation into Martin’s killing.

This ADM instructs the IEC/NEC to make representations to the Irish and British Governments to ensure access for journalists to this protection scheme.

ADM further instructs the IEC/NEC to continue to campaign for the protection of journalists working under threat and for justice for Sunday World reporter Martin O’Hagan.

Composite H (covers motions 107, 108 and amendments)

Freedom of Information Acts

ADM condemns the proposed rule changes to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 promoted by the British Constitutional Affairs Secretary, Lord Falconer. They would make it easier to refuse requests for information on cost grounds, and to introduce application fees for information requests under FOI. If they were promulgated they would limit news organisations to a small handful of requests per year and would make it easier for officials to turn away legitimate public interest requests.

This ADM is concerned these proposals would mean less media scrutiny of Government policies and their effects. As under UK legislation any request for information is treated as an FOI request, introducing application fees could mean people would have to pay for any request for information from the authorities. This would impact on all journalists but particularly on freelance researchers and writers.

The overall effect of the changes would be that far more requests by journalists would be rejected because they would exceed the existing fee limits. Published figures suggest that over 4,400 requests a year, which currently have to be dealt with under the Act, could be refused on cost grounds in future.


ADM notes that despite the Commons’ Constitutional Affairs Committee urging the Government not to make any changes to the established fees regime, Falconer’s department rejected the recommendations and announced that it would press ahead with the changes.

This ADM notes that a request by the Campaign for Freedom of Information for the results of a survey of FOI which was used to determine these changes has been refused. This means that the reasoning and implications of the proposed changes are not available for independent analysis or consultation.

ADM believes that these proposals fly in the face of creating a culture of openness in government and are a deliberate attempt to stop journalists using the act to find out what ministers and officials are up to.

We are concerned these changes will deter those who make use of the FOI, particularly journalists who are likely to make more frequent and regular requests for information.

ADM expresses further concern at the proposals contained in the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill, a private members’ bill, tabled by David Maclean MP, which seeks to completely remove the UK Parliament from the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and to exempt MPs’ correspondence held by public authorities from access under the Act. It notes that the bill passed its committee stage in the House of Commons on Wednesday 7 February 2007.

ADM believes that this Bill, if passed, would represent a serious setback to the culture of openness being established under the 2000 Act.

ADM instructs the NEC to continue its support for the Campaign for Freedom of Information, which is co-ordinating the response to these changes, and involve the NUJ Parliamentary Group and other sympathetic MPs in the campaign to reverse the Falconer proposals and to seek to ensure that Mr. Maclean’s bill is not passed into law.

ADM notes with concern the decline in use of the Freedom of Information Act in the Republic of Ireland and supports the ongoing campaign by the IEC for repeal of the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Act. Noting the impact of increased charges on usage by journalists in Ireland, ADM instructs the NEC and IEC to mount a co-ordinated campaign in defence of the principle of Freedom of Information.

109

This ADM welcomes the existence of the UK Freedom of Information Act and notes that it has enabled journalists to report on matters that would otherwise have been kept secret. It is estimated that there are more than 100 such stories a month in the UK as a result of the Act. ADM thanks members of this union who campaigned long and hard for the Act.


The Act, however, has weaknesses, including:

• Unnecessarily wide exemptions relating to “national security”, formation of government policy and court records. • There are still more than 200 prohibitions on disclosure (such as the Enterprise Act 2002) that override the right to know. • The definition of who is covered by the law is overly complex and takes no account of the public’s contribution to an organisation (for example, Network Rail is 100 per cent publicly funded yet it is not considered a public authority under the Act); • A lack of enforcement by the UK Information Commissioner is hindering the law’s usefulness. The commissioner needs to be made independent of the department of constitutional affairs, the central government dept responsible for FOIA, and made to report to Parliament. The commissioner must be provided with sufficient funding so that it can clear the ridiculous backlog of complaints that has built up. • Reported moves to exclude applications by unilaterally declaring that cost of providing an answer would be “disproportionate”

ADM therefore instructs the NEC to work with relevant experts to draw up draft amendments to the Act which address these questions; to campaign in general for these changes; and in liaison with the NUJ Parliamentary Group to seek the introduction of these amendments in a Private Members’ Bill.

110

This ADM condemns the practice of some public bodies and government departments in the Republic of Ireland charging journalists for information requested under the Freedom of Information Act, and we instruct the IEC/NEC to campaign to amend the legislation to give effect to the principle that government and public bodies should make available information under the Freedom of Information Act free of charge.

Composite I (covers motions 111, 112 and amendments)

This ADM notes: 1) That even the head of the army General Sir Richard Dannett believes the presence of UK troops in Iraq is making the situation worse. 2) The excellent campaigning work of Media Workers Against the War (MWAW).

ADM reiterates its support for:• The complete, unconditional and immediate withdrawal of British troops

from Iraq.• The Stop the War Coalition and Military Families Against the War.

ADM further declares that all British troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan.


ADM instructs the NEC to: 1. Support the work of these campaigns2. Encourage chapels and branches where possible to establish MWAW

groups 3. Explain and publicise the issues involved to all members via the website4. Encourage members to attend events, demonstrations and protests

organised by the STWC and MWAW 5. Make it clear that any member victimised for refusing to handle pro-war

copy will be supported by the union6. Work with the EFJ and IFJ and relevant civil liberties and other relevant

organisations, to gather information on the use of “extraordinary rendition” using Irish and UK airports to transfer “terrorist” suspects to third-party regimes where they are likely to face torture and death.

113

This ADM welcomes the Government’s decision to pardon the 306 British, Irish and Commonwealth troops executed for battlefield offences in the First World War.

Conference congratulates all members who supported the Shot at Dawn Pardons campaign and instructs the General Secretary to write to campaign founder John Hipkin and Peter Mulvany, Shot at Dawn (Ireland) co-ordinator, congratulating them on their principled stand and ultimate success in the 16year battle to win justice for these men and boys – some as young as 17 – and their families.

Conference further instructs the General Secretary to write to Defence Secretary Des Browne congratulating him on his humane decision to seek Parliament’s approval to pardon all those executed for disciplinary offences in the 1914 to 1918 conflict.

Nuclear Power

Composite J (covers motions 114 and 115 )

ADM recalls that, for 25 years, it has been the established policy of the NUJ to oppose the building of nuclear power stations.

ADM expresses its alarm that the British government seems set to embark on the building of a new generation of nuclear power stations. Because of the privatisation of state-owned industries, any new nuclear power stations in Britain will almost certainly be privately owned.

ADM does not accept that nuclear power stations have any part to play in protecting the environment on the grounds that:


• no viable solution has yet been found to the 60-year problem of how nuclear waste can be safely stored; • the mining, processing and transport of radioactive materials itself contributes to the problem of global warming – and also leaves Britain’s future energy supplies even more dependent on other countries; • nuclear waste contaminates the seas around Britain and thus exposes neighbouring countries to unnecessary health hazards.

ADM notes that there are alternative sources of power that can be harnessed at a fraction of the cost, such as wind, wave and solar power, without a fraction of waste.

ADM instructs the NEC to:

• campaign vigorously in opposition to any proposals to build nuclear power stations in Britain.

• publicise to members the union’s opposition to the government’s policy on this issue and work with organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the Women’s Environmental Network in support of the development of sustainable environmentally friendly energy supplies.

116

This ADM condemns the commitment of the Blair government as expressed in its white paper published on 4 December 2006 (The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent: Defence White Paper 2006 (Cm6994)) to press ahead with the replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system.

ADM notes that the cost of this could rocket to £76 billion pound when running and maintenance costs are taken into account.

ADM believes this money would be better spent saving the lives of 1.5 million children in the “Third World”; employing 120,00 nurses and building 30 new NHS hospitals; recruiting 60,000 additional teachers and 50,000 fire-fighters over the next five years, scrapping tuition fees for five years and saving seven million acres of rainforest.

ADM instructs the NEC to campaign against Trident replacement, support the peaceful actions being taken by CND and the Stop the War Coalition on this issue and publicise this issue to members via the union website and all other means of communication.

Pensions

118 ADM instructs the NEC together with the BIC to step up its campaign to prevent companies such


as ITV, ITN, the BBC and other media organisations from watering down pensions benefits. It also should use every endeavour to halt attempts to close final salary based schemes or increases in member contributions at a time when benefits are being reduced.

ADM further instructs the NEC to work with the NUJ Parliamentary group and the TUC to lobby the Government to strengthen existing legislation to prevent organisations from reneging on their long-standing obligations to their pension members. In line with this, ADM welcomes the existing measures taken by the NEC and by officials to intensify the union’s work around pensions, in particular the establishment of a Pensions Advisory Group and the approaches that have been made by the General Secretary to the TUC to begin wider organisation of trade union members who are pension trustees, employing the ‘capital stewardship’ strategy.

LNM21

ADM condemns the announcement by the Claverley Group last month of its intention to end final salary pensions for ALL staff working at the Wolverhampton Express & Star, Shropshire Star and Chronicle weekly papers.

This follows a similar draconian move by Cumbrian Newspapers Group in relation to its own final salary pension scheme in July.

Together, the actions of these two family-owned businesses threatens to set a trend within the media industry in general.

ADM congratulates the stand taken by CN Group chapels in resisting the attack on their members’ pensions, which, ultimately, threaten to cost some individuals tens of thousands of pounds in their retirement. The chapels’ vigilance has helped put the spotlight on employers’ willingness to renege on fundamental promises made to staff. The success of the NUJ in Ireland to defend the RNAI final salary pension scheme also provides a key example to chapels throughout the union that closures of pension schemes are not inevitable and that decisive action can save them.

ADM therefore instructs the NEC to make available resources to help chapels defend the pensions of members. ADM further instructs the NEC to commission research to ensure, in conjunction with the NUJ’s Pensions Advisory Group, that:

1. Current provision in occupational pensions in the media industry is mapped out;

2. Likely trends in relation to these pensions are identified.


Such research to be completed by Autumn 2007.

ADM instructs the NEC to use this research to develop strategies to combat employer attacks on member’s retirement benefits.

121

ADM condemns the decision of the Irish Government to introduce restrictive measures governing immigrants in the Republic of Ireland through the Immigration Bill 2006. The Bill contains a range of measures, which infringe on basic human rights. ADM instructs the NEC to support campaigns against this unacceptable legislation.

Composite K (covers motions 122 and LNM4)

This ADM deplores the erosion of public library provision in Britain. ADM believes that the closure of local libraries and cutting of acquisitions budgets for alleged economic reasons deprives communities of access to information, culture and entertainment.

ADM instructs the NEC to campaign, in conjunction with relevant public service unions, to oppose such library cuts and closures and defend adequate library provision for the public.

ADM is further alarmed at the proposed cuts to the State funding of the British Library as reported in the Guardian on 29th January 2007.

The British Library is the principal repository of books and other elements of our international cultural heritage. ADM instructs the NEC, as a matter of urgency, to campaign against any cuts in the financial provision for the British Library, in conjunction with other relevant interested parties.

123

This ADM notes with concern the Government’s continued development of the National Identity Register and the lack of transparency over costs and other details. This ADM continues to oppose the unilateral introduction of the planned National Identity Register by the UK Government and instructs the NEC to support those of our members who refuse to divulge their private details to the registering authorities.

This ADM urges our Parliamentary Group to lobby Parliament to this effect.


125

This ADM reiterates its total opposition to the Public Finance Initiative and Private Public Partnerships. These have been exposed time and again as shoddy, more expensive forms of “providing” public services.

Consultants, extra layers of bureaucracy and policy wonks now blight the public sector at the expense of those working on delivering frontline services. ADM therefore instructs the NEC to work with our trade union partners and the Public Service not Private Profit Campaign to publicise and highlight this rotten state of affairs and encourage members to support campaigns that are fighting back against the privatisation of public services.

LNM16

Bearing in mind its past support at ADM 2005 for the Grenada 17 in seeking a retrial and finally taking their appeal against sentence to the Privy Council in London, this ADM welcomes the judgement announced on 7 February 2007 that the Privy Council has quashed the death sentences on the appellants, stated that the appellants’ imprisonment on the island of Grenada is “without lawful authority” and ordered re-sentencing according to the rule of remission for good behaviour.

This ADM congratulates the 17 and their supporters on their success to date with a case described by Lord Bingham during the hearings as “probably the most important case from the Caribbean in the last three decades.”

ADM also recognises that to progress the case in the Supreme Court of Grenada will require further funding and instructs the NEC to mount a new appeal for funds to branches and chapels.

LNM25

Following the decision on April 05 2007 to prosecute for affray “The Raytheon Nine” – including the NUJ member, Eamonn McCann – who were originally facing anti-terrorism charges, ADM instructs the NEC to support the campaign for the charges to be dropped, particularly within the TUC and ICTU.

LNM28

This ADM is appalled to learn that almost 50 years after the Cuban revolution, many companies, including hotels, banks and computer manufacturers, are excluding people who have indicated support or sympathy for Cuba.

In some cases the simple use of the word “Cuba” in an address or credit card payment can result in a company refusing to supply goods and services. This


application of the extra territorial elements of the US blockade of Cuba onto UK companies, and other companies trading in Britain, such as the Hilton Hotel Group, as reported in The Guardian of 5th February 2007, is a threat to UK sovereignty, which must be resisted.

ADM calls on the UK government to make clear their opposition to any application of US extra-territoriality and to protect those companies that wish to trade with Cuba from US pressure and threat.

We further call on the UK government to make clear that all companies operating in the UK must do so under UK law including laws against discrimination on the grounds of nationality.

ADM instructs the NEC to write to the UK government expressing these concerns.

We further instruct the NEC not to use the services of any company that has been provenly identified in the media as complying with the extra territorial nature of the illegal US blockade.

Finally ADM calls on the NEC to give full support to the work of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign in the campaign against the illegal US blockade of Cuba.

LNM29

ADM acknowledges the pain and frustration of Black communities following the refusal by the Prime Minister to issue an official apology on behalf of the British Government for Britain’s role in the enslavement and death of millions of Africans as a result of the slave trade.

ADM recalls that there are British precedents for an apology – the Queen apologising to the Maoris and the Prime Minister to the Irish community in relation to the potato famine. And the Government’s timid ceremony was far from Germany’s unequivocal acceptance and reparation for their role in the Jewish holocaust.

ADM notes that the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade has initiated a discussion not simply about the wrongs that slavery brought on millions of Black people, but also about its economic role and how it was abolished. There is hardly a financial institution in this city that didn’t in some way have some origin in the slave trade.

ADM further notes that the repercussions of the slave trade and slavery echoes down the centuries. The after-effects included racism, inequality, poverty and conflict in Africa and the Caribbean.

ADM commends the Mayor of London for launching the Zong slave ship moored on the river Thames which has been recreated in memory of 133


slaves who were tossed overboard and which promotes commemoration, education and reconciliation.

ADM believes that the bicentenary also offers a unique chance for the people of Britain to reflect on the wider story of transatlantic slavery and its abolition and on the roles of ordinary people, politicians and the media in helping to bring an end to all forms of slavery.

ADM instructs the NEC to support Black communities in their call for an official apology and a national slavery memorial day.

ADM further instructs the General Secretary to write to the Prime Minister requesting an explanation as to why his government refused to fully apologise for Britain’s role in the slave trade.

MEMBERSHIP

128

ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules to give effect to the principle that there shall be a category of membership for journalists seeking asylum in the UK or Ireland. A member in this category shall be allowed to attend, speak and vote in their branch, attend, speak and vote and hold office within their chapel and attend ADM as an observer. Such members shall not be entitled to any union benefits, apart from such legal assistance as the NEC may agree. The annual subscription rate for this category shall be £10 or €14 for two years.

129

This ADM notes the number of people who seek asylum in the UK every year. ADM believes that these journalists from around the world are in exile and that they are seeking asylum in this country because they are practising journalists who have become endangered in their own countries for doing their journalistic work.

ADM instructs the NEC to: i) amend the rules to give effect to the principle that asylum seekers and refugees who can demonstrate that they were engaged in work in their homes countries that would have met the NUJ’s membership criteria, immediately prior to arriving in the UK, should be entitled to full membership status in the NUJ; ii) urge those responsible for running the union’ charities to consider changing the rules so that NUJ members who are asylum seekers or refugees have access to grants from NUJ charities; iii) campaign within the TUC for full membership status for asylum seekers and refugees in other unions.

130


This ADM recognises that the number of police press officers is on the increase and that many such officers are poorly trained or prepared for dealing with journalists.

It instructs the NEC to institute a recruitment drive among police press officers.

131

This ADM recognises that not all disabilities are obvious and that many members with “hidden disabilities” are reticent about declaring their disability to their employer and colleagues.

ADM understands the fear on the part of disabled members that being open about their disability may have an adverse effect on their career.

However ADM also recognises that the more members that declare that they are disabled, the less disability will be viewed as something that only affects a minority of workers. ADM therefore instructs the NEC to encourage members to “come out” and declare their disability at work and to register with the NUJ membership department, as a disabled NUJ member.

132

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules to provide

1. That applications for membership shall be made to the appropriate office of the NUJ on the form provided by the NEC whether on paper or online. 2. That all members employed in staff jobs shall, subject to the confirmation of a chapel/branch officer, be taken into membership from the date of their first payment of subscriptions.

3. The application form shall require the candidate to identify the sector in which he or she works and to agree to abide by the union’s rules and code of conduct as from time to time amended.

4. That election to membership shall be by a vote of the branch meeting, which the applicant shall attend where possible.

5. Temporary members seeking to transfer to full membership shall furnish their branch with evidence such as pay-slips or cuttings to prove eligibility.

135


ADM instructs the NEC to amend membership rule 3 A (iii) by changing the term 40 days to 60 days.

136

This ADM notes that modern practice on recruitment is at variance with some elements of the rules and instructs the NEC to amend the rules to give effect to the principle that applications for membership should be made by the applicant on the form provided by the NEC, whether on paper or online. This form should carry the names of the candidate’s proposer and seconder (rather than signatures) and identify in which industrial sector the candidate considers him/herself to work. It should also require the applicant to agree to abide by the union’s rules and code of conduct as from time to time amended.

ADM instructs the NEC to seek to ensure that the text of the union’s code of conduct shall be included as part of the application form (on paper or online).

ADM further instructs the NEC to amend the rules to give effect to the principle that election to membership shall be by a vote of a branch meeting and that the applicant shall attend where possible.

137

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules, with particular reference to Rule 3, to give effect to the principle that an applicant shall be informed in writing of the decision of a branch to reject his/her application for election or re-election to membership. 138

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules, with particular reference to Rule 4, to give effect to the principle that a member’s membership shall cease should, 28 days after a legitimate lapsing warning has been sent, he/she have failed to pay the full amount due at the time of the warning of lapsing.

139

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules to give effect to the following principles:

(i) full members may, only on the completion of 40 years continuous full membership, be recommended by their branch or the general secretary for transfer to life membership;

(ii) members whose membership is less than 40 years entirely because of caring responsibilities may be awarded life membership at the discretion of the NEC.


140

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules, with specific reference to Rule 2, to give effect to the principle that unemployed, associate and retired members shall not be entitled to apply for a press card.

141

This ADM views with alarm the job losses at 4 national newspapers and downgrading and retitling of some traditionally editorial functions.

This ADM notes the successful campaign at The Telegraph to maintain the best terms and conditions possible following a round of job cuts and move to the new offices in Victoria. It also applauds the chapels attempts to resist forced cuts at the Express and Financial Times.

This ADM instructs the NEC to set up a working party to look at widening the parameters for NUJ membership to embrace all staff engaged in the production of national newspapers and news services.

LNM8

ADM instructs the NEC to amend Temporary Membership forms, to include e-mail details, to facilitate renewal of membership reminders.

BROADCASTING

143

This ADM instructs the NEC to campaign– alongside the Scottish Executive Council, the Irish Executive Council and the Wales Council – to safeguard jobs, budgets, choice and plurality of broadcasting services in the UK nations.

145

This ADM welcomes Ofcom’s recent public consultation over the future of news services on UK broadcast media. ADM instructs the NEC to campaign with the BIC to seek to ensure that there is healthy competition and a variety of creditable broadcast news services up to and beyond digital switchover.

146


This ADM condemns management of ITV for reducing the broadcaster’s public service commitments resulting in unacceptable cutbacks in NUJ editorial positions and a poorer service to viewers. ADM instructs the NEC to continue to campaign with the BIC to seek to ensure that a public service remit continues on ITV.

147 (covers 148)

This ADM condemns the BBC plans to introduce advertising on the BBC News website’s pages where accessed from non-UK servers. This ADM instructs the NEC in conjunction with the BIC to continue to give full backing to staff who are campaigning against the move which they believe would open the door to further commercialisation of the corporation and damage the integrity and independence of the BBC as an independent and impartial public service broadcaster.


LNM 27

ADM congratulates members at the BBC over their campaign which resulted in the withdrawal in March of threatened compulsory redundancies.

In the light of the announcement in March 2007 of the unsatisfactory BBC licence fee settlement, ADM instructs the NEC, BIC and BBC M/FoCs to resist any forced job cuts, or reductions in the quality of output at the BBC.

ORGANISATION II

LNM6

This ADM notes that the chief executive of the National Council for the training of Journalists on 30 November 2006 refused to put forward to the board the NUJ’s nominations for new board members.

This ADM welcomes the work of Bob Norris, who retired recently, after many years representing the NUJ on the NCTJ.

ADM is concerned that as well as having too few working journalists, the Board has no members who an adequately represent the views of employees and trainees.

ADM further notes that the NCTJ board includes one former Editorial Director, one current Editorial Director, one Editor in Chief, two Editors, one Professor of Journalism, two Managing Directors, a Customer Relations Director, a Human Resources Director, a Managing Director of the Newspaper Licensing Agency and the Executive Director of the Society of Editors.

ADM is mindful that the NUJ was one of the founders of the NCTJ and has been an active supporter, including having an NUJ nominated board member, ever since.

ADM instructs the NEC to campaign for the NCTJ board to be more representative of working journalists and those directly involved in tutoring journalists.

ADM further instructs the NEC to express the NUJ’s outrage at the snub to the union in refusing to consider its nominated board members.

ADM also instructs the NEC, in consultation with ProfCom, lecturer members and student members, to reconsider the NUJ’s support for the NCTJ. ADM authorises the NEC to consider all the options, including a complete withdrawal of support for the NCTJ.

ADM authorises the NEC to take whatever action it considers necessary after its consultation.


Journalist

150

This ADM reiterates its longstanding policy that a minimum of 10 issues of The Journalist magazine shall be published each year (ie each period of 52 weeks grouped together in a consecutive sequence, also known as 12 months; referred to hereafter as a “year”) .

ADM notes with concern that a cut in the magazine’s budget has made it impossible for this policy to be implemented in the 2006-2007 financial year. ADM instructs the NEC to allocate sufficient funds to ensure the publication of at least 10 issues of The Journalist each year.

152

This ADM urges the editor of The Journalist to seek to ensure that The Journalist’s coverage of the conflict in the Middle East with respect to its effects on journalists and journalism is balanced and fair.

It urges the NUJ to engage with those seeking a resolution through peaceful means and expresses sympathy for innocent victims on all sides of the tragic conflict.

153

This ADM notes the decision of the NEC last July and believes that the union should be attempting to encourage members to communicate more effectively with each other, especially in regard to industrial matters. This ADM believes this should be done using email lists.

This ADM therefore instructs the NEC to investigate ways of facilitating NUJ-hosted email lists, which will allow for the sharing of best practice and the defence of members’ rights.

ADM declares that care must be taken to seek to ensure that members’ e-mail addresses at work shall only appear on the lists with the clear consent of the members concerned.

Elections/Ballots

156

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules to give effect to the principles that

(i) elections to the NEC, SEC, BMC, DMC, CEC, Equality Council and Ethics Council shall take place concurrently on an annual basis


(ii) elections to the IEC, Wales Council Cyngor Cymru, and all industrial councils shall take place every two years.

157

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules to give effect to the principle that a list of all members who will receive ballot papers (the electoral roll) in each of the elections referred to in Rules 10 and 20 shall be prepared on the day following the close of nominations.

158

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules, with specific reference to Rule 20, to give effect to the principle that for elections of full time officials, the General Secretary shall appoint an Electoral Presiding Officer to adjudicate on all matters of dispute relating to the issue of ballot papers or the conduct of the election.


160

This ADM notes that student members are excluded by default when branches are sent mailing labels or membership printouts. Under Rule 2 (g) (iv), student members have the same rights to attend branch meetings, speak, vote and hold office as full members.

This ADM instructs the NEC to ensure the union includes student members on all lists, including email lists, mailing labels and membership lists sent to branches and that student members are therefore always informed of branch meetings in accordance with Rule 7 (h).

162

This ADM instructs the NEC to institute an audit of membership records which would seek to ensure that details of chapel membership, home and work email addresses, and work addresses are up-to-date and that these are designated “essential fields” in any online updating facility.

This ADM further instructs the NEC to devise a method whereby members are reminded at least annually to notify all such details to the membership department.

163

This ADM notes that Motion 71 passed at ADM 2005 instructed the NEC to consider the feasibility of 1) introducing a structure formalising the role and procedures of the NUJ’s Pensioners Committee and 2) holding a retirement (pensioners) delegate meeting every two years and bring its conclusions to the next ADM.

ADM notes that the relevant report to ADM 2006 was referred back because it did not give sufficient information on the NEC’s response to this motion. ADM further notes that the only action that appears to have been taken in furtherance of the first part of Motion 71 is that a survey of Branches was carried out in an attempt to gauge interest in these proposals. Although 50 per cent of those Branches that responded said they would be interested in a formal structure for retired members, no action has been taken. The survey has also been used to decline to take further action on the possibility of a biennial Pensioners’ Delegate Meeting.

Further, the NEC has sought to restrict the activities of the existing NUJ Pensioners Committee by limiting it to two meetings a year with no consultation of its members.

This ADM is appalled at the NEC’s negative response to Motion 71. This ADM therefore instructs the NEC to change the rules to give effect to the principle that the union should set up a specific NUJ pensioners organisation to pursue matters of interest to them and to future pensioners, including freelances. This


would be in line with the spirit of Motion 71 and also TUC policy, which since 1974 has urged all affiliate unions to set up retired members associations.

Sustainability

166

This ADM, recognising that sustainability poses a serious challenge to humanity in its relationship with the environment, and noting that many voluntary CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives provide good public relations but frequently fail to deliver any meaningful change, welcomes the NUJ’s support for CORE (the Corporate Responsibility Coalition) and the steps being undertaken to conduct an environmental audit in Headland House.

This ADM instructs the NEC to carry out an environmental audit of NUJ working practices, especially in relation to travel/transport, to assess its carbon footprint and, if necessary, take the appropriate steps to reduce it as much as practicable and to report annually on:

1. the steps being taken in the NUJ to minimize the organisation’s impact, including the development and regular updating of an environmental code of conduct for its members so they can support the NUJ’s initiative; 2. what actions are being taken by the NUJ externally in order that the goal of guaranteeing a healthy planet, that will be around for future generations, can be realised.

LNM5

ADM congratulates our officials and lay activists for the progress on improved rights for those on work experience placements in the television sector as announced in HMRC press release dated 5 February 2007. ADM therefore instructs the NEC to press for the extension of these improved rights to placements in all media sectors.

LNM9

ADM notes the rush by major newspaper plcs to turn many long established regional evening newspapers into morning dailies.

ADM believes many of the titles which have been turned into overnight operations have done so, for cost cutting reasons rather than journalistic considerations.

ADM still believes that there is still great value in live breaking news in the newspaper market, which keeps evening titles relevant to their towns and cities.


However where evening titles have already shifted to morning publication, companies should plough in the savings made to boost the editorial excellence of their product to enhance its long-term security.

ADM therefore instructs the NEC to support the efforts of chapels seeking to defend under threat evening newspapers and campaign to turn savings from changed publishing times into improved quality editorial instead of putting it into shareholders’ pockets.

LNM11

ADM welcomes the effectiveness of recent NUJ activity at national newspapers and elsewhere in the industry and recognises the importance of solidarity between freelance and staff members in industrial disputes.

ADM believes that freelance members making themselves unavailable for work when staff members are on strike undoubtedly aids chapels to bring disputes to a successful conclusion. To this end it is essential that chapels communicate with their freelance staff to inform them of any planned industrial action and seek their support and participation since failure to do so could well undermine any action.

ADM calls on chapels to include freelance terms and conditions in their negotiations with management, not only as a way of improving freelance terms and conditions but also to stop employers using freelancers to undermine staff conditions.

ADM therefore instructs the NEC to work with chapels to improve their communications with freelances and to ensure that at a very minimum that freelancers are informed of any forthcoming industrial action.

ADM instructs the NEC to consider a web-based or email-based or other notification system to allow freelancers to be made aware of industrial action by chapels.

LNM12

ADM instructs the NEC to examine the possibility of reciprocal membership arrangements with the Society of Authors.

LNM 13

This ADM congratulates the Freelance Office and the Photographers Sub-Committee for organising the NUJ’s first ever photographers’ conference on February 27 2007. ADM thanks the NEC for allocating funds for it. ADM instructs the NEC to consider a biennial, two-day photographers’ conference with appropriate funding.


ETHICS

168

This ADM notes 1) The rise of Islamophobia. 2) The refusal by NUJ members at the Daily Star to handle Islamophobic material.

This ADM believes that trade unionists should be in the forefront of fighting prejudice and that it is through strong union workplace organisation that journalists are best able to defend and implement the Code of Conduct and protect and enhance journalistic ethics and standards.

This ADM instructs the NEC to 1) Step up all its anti-racist campaigning activity.2) To circulate guidelines toward gaining a conscious clause in house

agreements.

169

This ADM welcomes the action taken by Daily Star journalists to prevent the publication of the Daily Fatwa page – which was both offensive and inaccurate. This ADM believes the Daily Star journalists’ action demonstrates that it is through strong union workplace organisation that journalists are best able to defend and implement the Code of Conduct and protect and enhance journalistic ethics and standards.

This ADM instructs the NEC to produce a campaigning guide to promote the Code of Conduct within workplaces as part of its campaigning work on advancing ethical journalism.

170

This ADM deplores the statements made by Commons Leader Jack Straw about asking South Yorkshire Muslim women to uncover their faces.

This ADM believes that the stance taken by the likes of Mr Straw can only set back relationships between minority ethnic and religious groups and others, contrary to his claims of wanting to improve relationships with Muslims. Instead he should be encouraging mutual respect among different groups as the only way to foster dialogue and understanding.

All women, including Muslims, should be free to wear what they like without fear of discrimination or attack. Already, one woman has had her veil torn from her face in Liverpool by a man shouting racist abuse at her.


This ADM believes his words must be set in the context of the Islamophobia that has been whipped up to justify the so-called ‘war on terror’ led by the US and UK governments to justify the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and aggressive stances to other nations like Iran.

As trade unionists who represent a wide range of members, this ADM wants to see a society where prejudice against any minority groups is fought, not pandered to.

This ADM congratulates the Express/Daily Star Chapel in taking action to stop a racist edition of the Daily Star.

This ADM instructs the NEC to step up the union’s anti-racist campaigning, specifically against Islamophobia, and support union members prepared to take industrial action to oppose racism.

171

ADM notes the warning by the Home Secretary, Attorney General and Scotland Yard to the media to exercise restraint in reporting following the arrests of 23 terror suspects on August 19th.

However, photographs of the suspects and details of their families, personal lives and the alleged plot continue to be published daily, heightening alarm and whipping up hostility against Muslims, in the interest of keeping the public informed.

ADM recalls that while Attorney General Lord Goldsmith intervened in previous cases using the Contempt of Court legislation to issue warnings to newspaper editors in 2003 after David Blunkett made potentially prejudicial comments in relation to the arrest of a terror suspect and in 2004 to obtain an injunction preventing the publication of photographs of eight men arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000, in this case Scotland Yard took the unusual steps of presenting to the media evidence of bomb-making equipment and video recordings, despite the fact that 11 suspects had been charged.

ADM believes that a delicate balance needs to be struck between the law of contempt and the potentially prejudicial impact of media coverage on one side, and freedom of expression and the right of the public to be kept informed on the other. ADM instructs the NEC and the Ethics Council to seek to discuss with editors guidelines for journalists when dealing with such stories.

Composite L, covering motions 172, 173 and amendment, 174 and Ethics Council’s amendments to 172.


This ADM welcomes the review of the NUJ Code of Conduct carried out by the Ethics Council as instructed by ADM last year and the draft Code produced by the Ethics Council.

In consequence, ADM instructs the NEC to change the Code of Conduct to give effect to the principles included in the draft code, including that a journalist:

• Shall uphold the right of the public to be informed • Shall protect confidential information as well as individual sources• Has the right to refuse assignments or to be identified as the author of

editorial that would break the letter and spirit of the Code, and the NUJ fully supports any journalists disciplined for asserting his/her rights to act according to the Code.

• Shall not by way of statement, voice or appearance endorse by advertisement any commercial product or service save for the promotion of his/her own work or of the medium by which he/she is employed.

• Shall differentiate between fact and opinion• Shall avoid plagiarism and under no circumstances shall a member seek

payment by presenting another journalist’s work as his or her own.

The principle that the proscription of the digital manipulation of images does not require a specific reference in the Code.

The principle that seeking adult permission before interviewing or photographing children shall not be included in the Code.

The principle that the proscription of mentioning a person’s age, gender, race, colour, creed, legal status, disability, marital status or sexual orientation shall not be included in the Code.

ADM instructs the NEC to use the Ethics Council’s draft for rewriting of the Code of Conduct in a language that is more appropriate, tighter and understandable for journalists of today.

ADM instructs the NEC and Ethics Council to produce a campaigning guide to promote the Code of Conduct throughout the union as part of its campaigning work of advancing ethical journalism.

175

ADM notes that ever since Margaret Thatcher’s comment in 1978 that the British people were worried that ‘this country might be rather swamped by people with a different culture’, those on the Right of British politics have seen cultural diversity as a threat to national cohesion and security.

ADM further notes with concern that since 9/11, it has been parts of the “liberal” Left and New Labour that have attacked multiculturalism most


forcefully, seeing in it the cause of segregation in Britain. As the political machinery is now dismantling the Commission for Racial Equality, government ministers openly blame the surge of racism on its Black victims’ failure to “integrate”.

ADM deplores the cacophony of voices led by politicians and the media which has singled out British Muslims in the “integration” debate.

ADM believes there is a deliberate confusion, especially in the media, of the concept of multiculturalism in general, which refers to an acceptance of ethnic pluralism, with the specific ‘multiculturalist’ policies introduced during the 1980s.

ADM further believes that society needs a set of core values to unite around. But those values are not specific to Britishness. Rather, they are universal values of human and democratic rights that all communities share.

ADM is concerned that the Union’s Code of Conduct, with its traditional editorial standards for reporting and handling stories on race relations, seem to have been suspended, submerged, or worse, intentionally flouted in the exciting roller coaster hysteria of tabloids and some broadsheets.

ADM reminds members that they have a duty to maintain the highest professional and ethical editorial standards, and the NUJ Code of Conduct set the benchmark for these standards.

ADM instructs the NEC, the Ethics Council, and the Black Members Council to campaign jointly to promote public awareness of the Code of Conduct, to improve understanding and compliance with the Code of Conduct among the membership, and to develop best practice guidelines for coverage of social and cultural diversity and human rights.

176 (covering LNM 15)

This ADM welcomes the review of the Code of Working Practices carried out by the NEC and the Ethics Council as instructed by ADM last year.

ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules to replace the working practices (appendix B) with a new rule (based on the draft circulated by the Ethics Council with the Preliminary Agenda) giving effect to the following principles outlining a member’s responsibilities to the union, fellow members and trade unionism:

• Members should not act against the interests of the union or of the trade union movement; • Members should treat other members with consideration and respect; • Members should combat discrimination and bullying in the workplace and strive for equality and union organisation;


• Members should support the union, fellow members and their union activities;• Staff members should not exploit the difficulties faced by freelance members.

177

This ADM instructs the NEC to amend the rules to provide that staff reporters on regional newspapers may continue to sell on to other news organisations any stories, which are generated exclusively by themselves and have not been covered by freelances in the course of their work.

179

This ADM reaffirms the principle that journalists should ensure that material written for the purpose of publicity is clearly distinguished from independent reporting.

ADM recognises that this principle has a particular importance in the area of medicine and health, because people need access to independent and balanced information when their health is at stake.

ADM recognises

a) that it is common practice among PR agencies working for pharmaceutical and other companies operating in the area of health and medicine to pay for journalists to attend conferences, press conferences and media briefings, and that some even pay journalists for getting articles published that promote the interests they represent, and may even prime journalists to pose certain questions at press conferences

b) that such practices undermine the integrity of and public confidence in medical and health journalism by opening it up to hidden bias

ADM instructs the NEC and the Ethics Council to approach the Medical Journalists Association and other relevant bodies with a view to investigating how widespread these practices may be and explore possible ways to address them.

ADM further notes the sharp decline in the ethical standards applied by “communications” staff in NHS bodies, Trusts, primary Care Trusts, and Strategic Health Authorities. This can impede the work of print and broadcast journalists and result in misleading information.

ADM instructs the NEC to work with the PRIIC to develop a campaign pack and publicity to promote in the NHS the union’s ethical approach to PR and investigate ways of recruiting PR staff who support these values.

180


ADM notes the recommendations on reporting HIV/AIDS adopted at a two-day Africa-Asia regional meeting involving IFJ affiliates and journalist and experts from Africa and Asia.

As well as confirming the vital role journalists are playing in educating the public on HIV/AIDS these recommendations highlighted the need for country-specific codes of conducts and reporting guidelines on HIV/AIDS.

ADM welcomes the call made by the IFJ that media organisations develop strategies that strengthen the role of media in providing information on all aspects of HIV and Aids, and to institute wide ranging, regular and sustained training for journalists and editors on HIV and AIDS reporting.

ADM welcomes the work being carried out by the Equality Council and the NUJ and instructs the NEC to consider how to develop this work, in particular through the union’s training programme.

LNM1

ADM notes the jailing in January 2007 of News of the World royal reporter Clive Goodman for illicitly obtaining information on the private lives of members of the royal family and other celebrities.

ADM deplores the imprisonment of journalists for their work, but it also deplores the illegal practices, known as “blagging”, indulged in by many newspapers to obtain such information.

ADM notes that according to the UK Information Commissioner more than 300 reporters on UK national papers have procured thousands of items of private information on individuals, mostly through private detectives.

ADM recognises that such practices and the Goodman case itself have seriously damaged the standing of journalists and of the media in general. ADM further recognises the unfair pressures often put on journalists to satisfy the need for over sensationalised stories among their employers.

ADM notes that the Code of Conduct stipulates that information must be obtained only by straightforward means, subject only to considerations of the overriding pubic interest. ADM is sceptical about the genuine public interest in many celebrity stories.

ADM wishes to see a debate throughout the union on the limits to legitimate reporting activity and instructs the Ethics Council and urges the editor of the Journalist to produce material to further the debate.

ADM further instructs chapels to campaign to have the union’s conscience clause inserted in house agreements as a way of offering some protection to members.


LNM2

This ADM notes the responses to a Department of Constitutional Affairs consultation on dealing with the abuse of private information with custodial sentences published on 7th February 2007.

ADM notes the union’s code of conduct and in particular its clauses on intrusion into privacy and public interest but believes that there are occasions when journalists need to expose wrongdoing or dangers to the public by dealing in private information.

ADM instructs the NEC to campaign to minimise the potential for journalists being jailed for attempting to expose wrong-doing by dealing in private information.

LNM26

This ADM fully endorses the joint chapels at Newsquest Glasgow in their vote of no confidence in Tim Blott and their managements’ further threat to jobs at the titles.

Staff at The Herald, Sunday Herald and Evening Times were asked by management to find £3 million in further savings.

This follows at £19 million profit from Newsquest Glasgow last year.

This ADM condemns the blatant profiteering of Newsquest at the expense of our members and the quality of Scottish journalism.

This ADM urges the NEC to support the Joint Chapels’ campaign, including the possibility of industrial action, to remove the threat of further cuts.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

181

This ADM notes that, despite years of lobbying, press coverage and campaigning, workplace bullying remains a persistent and widespread problem – according to TUC research some 2 million workers were bullied their workplace in 2005 over a six-month period.

ADM instructs the NEC to work with the TUC, other unions and organisations concerned about bullying in the workplace to raise awareness of this issue and to drive bullying up the political agenda.

In particular to highlight:

• the damaging consequences and real cost of bullying to the economy.


• to the organisation and to the individual, both psychological and financial.• employers’ legal and moral obligations to protect the psychological as well as the physical well being of employees. • the urgent need for effective strategies (rather than mere “paper” policies without genuine ‘buy-in’ from management and HR) to protect potential victims, to combat and eliminate bad practice, and thereby prevent millions more workers becoming victims of workplace bullying.

ADM further instructs the NEC to campaign to promote good practice and to encourage employers to adopt a proactive, ‘zero tolerance’ approach towards workplace bullying. To encourage employers to give training to managers so that they have the skills and knowledge to deal with bullying and so that targets of office bullies receive immediate support and advice, so that ideally they can retain their jobs and stop the bullying.

Composite M (covers 182 and amendment and motion 183)

This ADM- recalls Resolution 47 passed at 2005 ADM on the theme of freelance

well-being

- recalls that the 2004 survey of freelances found that a significant minority of freelances “sometimes” or “often” suffered from depression

- notes that the resolution instructed the NEC to set up access to a counselling service for

- members

- notes that the General Secretary advised ADM 2006 verbally that discussions had been held

- towards providing access to such a service

- notes that, so far, efforts to secure a free counselling service have proved unsuccessful and instructs the NEC to pursue alternative solutions, and

- instructs the NEC to organise a follow-up survey of freelance well being, to be undertaken in 2007-8, to provide data permitting comparisons with the 2004 survey data.

184

This ADM condemns the failure of the Labour Government to introduce legislation making directors liable for the death of their employees in situations where health and safety legislation has been breached.

ADM therefore instructs the NEC, in line with both the TUC and Labour Party conference policy, to continue to raise and publicise this issue amongst


members, seek to ensure that it is at the forefront of the TUC General Council’s agenda and support the work of the Centre for Corporate Accountability and the London Hazards Centre, where NUJ members have led the fight on this issue but are under constant pressure of having their funding cut.

LNM22

This ADM strongly condemns the vicious attack at 1.30a.m. on January 11 on Newcastle journalist Christine Harle which highlights the dangers to which night staff are exposed on a daily basis.

While welcoming the swift response of the bosses at ncjMedia to ensure the safety of all journalists, conference is deeply concerned that it took such an incident to secure this.

Conference congratulates the editor of The Journalist for highlighting this case and instructs the General Secretary, as far as is practical, to seek to ensure the question of staff safety is raised at all chapels with a view to including the issue in negotiations on terms and conditions.

COPYRIGHT

187

This ADM notes the publication of the Gowers Review on United Kingdom intellectual property law. ADM instructs the NEC, in light of the Gowers proposals, to campaign vigorously for a strong regime of inalienable authors’ rights in the UK, including the extension of authors’ rights to staff journalists and to all forms of publication, a strengthening of moral rights to defend the integrity of journalistic work, and the introduction of a special small claims system to deal with breaches of law in this area.

188

ADM instructs the NEC to seek statutory enforcement in all relevant jurisdictions obliging publishers to notify contributors that their material has been used. It instructs the NEC to seek to end the current practice whereby a contributor must discover that material has been used in order to be paid.

190

This ADM notes the continuing attempts by publishing bodies to take all rights when commissioning work from freelance photographers and writers.

ADM instructs NEC to take additional steps to educate and inform members who are in commissioning roles of the importance of copyright for freelance


members, and to support them in taking efforts to avoid the issuing of all rights contracts.

191

This ADM notes that the British Library routinely charges a “copyright” fee when providing copies of material from journals, books etc. held in its archive.

ADM further notes that there seems to be no arrangement for ensuring that any element of this copyright fee reaches the individual creator of that work. ADM instructs the NEC to campaign vigorously, both independently and with other creators’ organisations, to ensure that creators receive full and proper payment when their work is copied as part of the British Library service.

REMITTED MOTIONS

1

This ADM instructs the NEC to set up a working party to produce proposals to simplify ADM procedures in an attempt to make them more accessible to ordinary members, and to bring those proposals back to ADM.

21

This ADM instructs the Irish Executive Council to lodge an immediate claim on behalf of members in the Irish national and provincial newspaper and broadcasting sectors, for increases in subsistence rates to bring them into line with actual current prices, and for an increase in mileage expenses to reflect the Irish Civil Service rates

Equality

31

ADM notes with concern that despite passing a motion, in 2001, on the need for mentoring, nothing has been done to progress this idea within the union as a whole. ADM notes that Composite B, passed in 2001, instructed the NEC and industrial councils to appoint one or more of their past or present members to act as advisers to potential new council members. This composite also instructed the NEC to implement a mentoring system, which would involve past or present members of the council providing support and advice to new members during their first months on the council.

This ADM therefore instructs the NEC, again, to explore the possibility of implementing a mentoring system for newly elected members to councils,


including the National Executive, industrial councils and all the councils covering equality issues.

Staff

78

This ADM instructs the NEC to appoint a Photographers Organiser as a priority within three years.

82

This ADM instructs the NEC to employ a full time officer for health and safety. This post will focus on promoting health and safety as an organising tool within the union: the promotion of the role of safety representative; campaigning for more safety reps to be elected within the union; training safety reps, campaigning on health and safety; and policy work on health and safety.


Pensions

117 This ADM notes with dismay that most women pensioners receive a weekly pension which is less than the UK Government’s acknowledged poverty level and that a similar situation also exists in the Republic of Ireland. ADM also notes that this situation will not change whilst women continue to lose income when they have children, whilst the equal pay gap between full time men and women workers continues at around 17.5% and carers are not given the same state pension rights as those who are in paid work.

This ADM therefore instructs the NEC to support the Equal Opportunities Commission’s (EOC’s) campaign for:

• A common entitlement to the basic state pension • Caring recognised and supported in all pensions schemes • Equal pay • And to formally sign up to support the EOC’s specific pension campaign, which is already supported by several trade unions and to advertise this fact on the union’s web site and, with the Editor’s permission, in the union’s journal.

127

This ADM notes that according to the NUJ rulebook:

i) Full members of the NUJ are entitled to all the benefits of membership, and comprise persons in staff occupations and freelances. ii) Temporary members have no right to vote, stand for office or receive financial benefits. They have a right to legal assistance and a press card. They are seeking to establish themselves as freelances. iii) Student members may vote in their branch, attend and vote at delegate meetings and vote and hold office in their chapel. They have a right to a student press card, but have no right to legal assistance or any other benefits. iv) Associate members must satisfy the NEC that they are carrying out significant journalistic work and have a continuing commitment to journalism and trade unionism. They may have a full-time job in another industry. They have no right to a press card, but are entitled to legal assistance.

ADM accepts that discrepancies have arisen owing to the gradual addition of new membership categories on an ad hoc basis over a period of years.

ADM instructs the NEC to review membership categories and structure with a view to eliminating these anomalies.

161


This ADM welcomes the audit of members’ email addresses by the Electoral Reform Service and instructs the General Secretary to build on this by having the union’s website updated to mark as “required” those fields covering employers’ addresses, work telephone numbers, home and work email addresses, sector, branch and chapel membership.

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