olive branch membership
THIS year's conference of the with
National Union of Journalists rejected any move towards open warfare with the jobs.
NGA over the representation of under new
Discussion at the NUI's Bristol Annual
Delegate Meeting took place under the cloud of inter-union clashes at Portwelcome
NGA members had
NU] members for our months, and NGA leaders colluder with employers) and Wolverhampton have similarly
NGA lines).
picket
Despite this the resolution which was jointly carried oftered an olive branch to the
NGA as part of a firm statement of
While calling for talks with the NGA, a common fight against the employers to defend all jobs in the industry, and for joint union
Socialist Viewpoint, No. 5, April 1985. Page 25 to the TUC was heavily coloured by what happened to the NGA when it appealed for help. But it is not clear how far the print unions have learned lessons from Warrington. There is a "trophy" in the general secretary's office of the NGA at Bedford depicting Eddie Shah as a big game head, inscribed something like "We got him
A new "realism" which can put forward a plan of campaign for rolling back the attacks on the unions cannot afford the luxury of such myths.
where NGA members transfer to sub-editing departments. the esolution spells out that if the tall the NGA break down the NUJ would have no alternative but to seek to negotiate its own deals with management - on the basis of a defence of all The final resolution, promoted by the NUI's Provincial Newspapers Industrial Council. offers a principled basis for negotiations with the NGA - though all the signs are that despite an early tor the resolution from General Secretary Dubbins, the NGA leadership are sharpening their knives in preparation for a war over membership and representation.
That war should rightly be fought with the NÚ] against the employers - but not at the expense of sacrificing the NUI's hard-won rights to represent editorial stail. In the months ahead those in both unions with an understanding of union bureaucracy and union principle are going to need to fight hard to make their voices heard.