Railing against low pay

Joint Father of Chapel Sam Southgate on the picket line at the National Railway Museum. Picture: John Jones

During our five-day strike, we were overwhelmed by the support we received from fellow journalists, trade unionists and members of the public.

So when workers at the city's National Railway Museum (NRM) went on strike on Friday, June 13, we made sure to show our solidarity with the PCS and Prospect union members there. Like our campaign, their action was over pay. They are taking a stand against an offer worth just three per cent for 2007, and a derisory 2.7 per cent this year.

Joint Father of Chapel Sam Southgate visited the picket line, in Leeman Road, in the morning and took a message from the chapel which had been agreed during our seven-and-a-half hour mandatory meeting the previous day.

Later, a whip-round among NUJ members raised about £20. Because the members did not have a strike fund, we used the cash to buy a load of chocolate and fudge goodies for the strikers.

We send our union colleagues at the NRM best wishes for success in their struggle. They are forecasting further action this summer, and if they strike again NUJ members will once more be standing side-by-side with them.

Ignored while bosses sip champagne

NUJ representatives today leafleted outside the Press Gazette Regional Press Awards to raise awareness for members currently taking action in York.

Staff at The Press helped their paper to a nomination in the Scoop Of The Year category, but were not invited to the awards - only the management attended.

NUJ Assistant Organiser, Jenny Lennox, said: "It is shameful that managers from Newsquest York are in London sipping champagne while their staff are struggling on low pay. To not even reward the journalists who earned them the nomination shows the contempt they have for their staff.

"The papers should recognise their award-winning staff and give them award-winning pay deals, not below inflation pay rises and worse deals than other titles."

Journalists at Newsquest-owned titles in York have been continuing their action this week by holding mandatory chapel meetings. Despite threats from management that any journalist who was late for work would be sent home without pay, yesterday's inaugural meeting was well attended.

NUJ members met for seven-and-a-half hours from 8am and returned to work en-masse after discussing ways to take their protests further. The managing director then sent home journalists from the morning shifts with no pay but those on the late shifts were allowed to stay and receive a full-day's pay.

Subsequent meetings have been put on hold as management have agreed to mediation through ACAS.

Meeting management's challenge

Journalists at Newsquest York prepare to return from their seven-and-a-half hour mandatory chapel meeting

Today witnessed more brave and determined action from journalists in York, as their campaign for decent pay continued. More than two weeks on since our five-day strike, members were together again in the first of eight scheduled mandatory meetings.

The chapel's business started early - at 8am at York's Caffé Nero. But about 25 chapel members and our NUJ assistant regional organiser were soon in the thick of debate over the dispute and an renewed offer from management to go to independent body ACAS for mediation.

After lunch we reconvened at the Seahorse Hotel to talk through other plans for action and links with other trade unions. And, after a few hours of fruitful discussion, we made the decision to return to work.

We entered Newsquest York's office, in Walmgate, at 3.30pm en masse and, once again, in the rudest of health. Management seemed surprised to see members taking their places to get on with the day's work - especially as most journalists only had two hours left in their working day.

Unfortunately all staff - apart from three late shift workers - were told their services would not be required and were sent home. Management had brought in journalists from elsewhere to cover for their absence, including Brian Nuttney, deputy editor of the Bradford Telegraph & Argus (also a Newsquest paper).

However, positive discussions between the NUJ and managing director Steve Hughes led to an agreement that will see the chapel voluntarily suspending its planned industrial action until a mediation session with ACAS is convened early next week.

This is exactly the result the chapel wanted. We now hope management prove they are serious about resolving this dispute and will improve their derisory pay offer.

A day at the races

A team of NUJ members visited York Racecourse on The Press Family Raceday to highlight our campaign for fair pay to racegoers. The Press put its name to the day's racing on Friday, May 30, and we thought it only right to provide a news service about the event's sponsors.

Chapel members and supporters handed out leaflets to punters stressing how US-owned Newsquest is gambling with the future of the city's community newspaper, and the Gazette & Herald, which covers Ryedale. They also gathered signatures on our petition, which is still going strong after we handed in 900 names to managing director Steve Hughes last week.

Celebrities including Nikki Sanderson, pictured right, who played Candice in Coronation Street, took leaflets and spoke to members about our dispute.

Marching on the Minster

On the march in York's Parliament Street

Actors, MPs, councillors, lecturers and shoppers got behind our strike on its final day. More than 20 picketers marched on the city's Minster on another glorious day of sunshine in York to round off the first wave of our action for fair pay.

We were buoyed early on by a visit from Selby MP John Grogan, whose constituency includes part of York and is covered by The Press. He had earlier sent us a message of support but today he spoke to strikers and gave us his backing in person.

Then City of York councillor Dave Taylor dropped by to give us his backing. We had earlier visited by his Green Party colleague Andy D'Agorne so we now have 100 per cent of the council's Green group on board.

Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for York Central, Susan Wade Weeks paid another visit to the picket line. She said her daughter, the actress Honeysuckle Weeks, from the TV show Foyle's War, would also be rooting for us.

More celebrety backing came in the shape of Robinson Crusoe. The lead in an upcoming series by American TV company NBC, Philip Winchester, signed our petition and gave us his support. Along with stars such as Sean Bean and Sam Neil, he has been in the city for filming over the last week.

Three NUJ national executive members turned out today - Michelle Stanistreet, Tom Davies and Adam Christie - along with Miles Barter from the Manchester NUJ Branch and our regional organiser Jenny Lennox. They brought with them the branch's banner which we hoisted in front of the building.

The University of York's UCU secretary James Cussens paid us a visit and wished us fraternal greetings, as did a Japanese lecturer in labour relations at York St John University and a trade unionist in his home country.

By noon, we were ready to move off on our march into the city centre. Our demonstration was lively, fun and loud - it surely made an impression on the Bank Holiday shoppers. From Newsquest York's offices in Walmgate, we marched to the Minster and then to Parliament Street.

There we staged an impromptu singalong of our strike song, which saw dozens of members of the public throw money into our bucket. Union members handed out copies of our strike paper The Stress, collected signatures on our petition, and shouted slogans on the megaphone.

From there, we went back to Newsquest York's offices and stood outside chanting our slogan: "What do we want? Fair Pay! When do we want it? Now!" We were certainly loud enough to make our point to the management inside. We rounded off our five-day strike with a chapel meeting and devoured a lunch laid on at a local pub.

Selby MP John Grogan on the picket line

Richard Foster sings his heart out in the city centre

A video of our end-of-strike march and rally

Robinson Crusoe backs strike

The star of the new Robinson Crusoe TV series has joined our stance for fair pay. American actor Philip Winchester, pictured, who played Scott Tracy in the recent remake of Thunderbirds, took a copy of our strike paper, The Stress, and signed our petition while filming in York today.
Philip, Sean Bean, Sam Neil and other cast members have been filming the 13-part drama for US production company NBC in the city for the last two weeks. Philip took time out to ask questions about our strike, read The Stress and wish us good luck. Extras and crew members have also supported our cause throughout the last five days.

We're all fine - on the picket line

It was another cracking day on the picket line for the York strikers. Due to the work patterns on Sunday we started at 3.30pm, but the line was soon dancing a jig as Fozzy and the Fozzettes were once again on song.

NUJ regional organiser Chris Morley joined us and brought along the Birmingham NUJ Branch banner. About 15 strikers turned out and enjoyed more glorious sunshine while handing out leaflets and getting members of the public to sign our petition for fair pay.

Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for York Central Susan Wade Weeks also visited the picket line, following up on her message of support. Susan, who lives locally, said she was pleased to give us her full backing. She has spoken to Newsquest York's managing director Steve Hughes on our behalf to press him to give us a fair pay rise. We are very grateful for her continued support.

Union member Richard Foster, accompanied by his son Daniel, performed the NUJ York strike song Things I Learnt This Year and other numbers including Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life and Part Of The Union, by The Strawbs.

Passing motorists - epsecially bus drivers from First York - were again offering sterling support by honking for fair pay. On a similar theme, The Press's former pocket cartoonist, known as Wolf, whose slot was axed when the paper was redesigned last month, sent us a cartoon about our strike, pictured right.

The Press's editor Kevin Booth was back from holiday today - he has missed out on the strike so far - and we were there to greet him as he entered the office.

Tomorrow is the final day of this strike and we'll be out in force. We're planning a march around the city centre followed by a rally at the Minster and a celebratory lunch to mark the end of this action and to plan what comes next.

We're determined to continue our fight for decent pay; this is just the beginning.

Chapel fighting fund nears £10k

Countless donations towards our strike fund have been thrown into our bucket by members of the public over the weekend. We now have some £300 pounds in there, which together with a £25 donation from an NUJ member in the US, pushes us close to the £3,750 mark.

However the big news today is that the NUJ's national executive committee (NEC) has agreed to send us £6,000 towards the strike as a down payment for our dispute. This is a simply incredible sum and reaffirms Jeremy Dear's message yesterday that the union nationally is behind us all the way. Officials have stressed that more financial support will be coming our way from the NEC should we need it.

We now have a fighting fund of close to £10,000, giving members the confidence to plan where we go next in battling for fair pay. There's a feeling that union members at (especially Newsquest) papers across the country are willing us on and, given the help we've had, we feel we owe it to them to continue our struggle.

Minster fire alert scoop for NUJ journalists

Another exclusive for strike paper The Stress's reporters...

HUNDREDS of York residents and tourists looked on as emergency services swooped on the city's Minster this afternoon. Four fire engines and police rushed to the historic church shortly before 5pm after the fire alam sounded. After an anxious examination of the building it was found to have been a false alarm. It was believed to have been sparked by either bellringers or workmen disturbing dust in the bell tower. NUJ journalists were on the scene and pictures will follow soon. Where were The Press? Remember, you read it here first.

Picture copyright NUJ Newsquest York Chapel. All rights reserved.

General Secretary joins picket line

On the third day of our strike, picketers were in bouyant mood as we were accompanied by violin and guitar outside Newsquest York's offices.

We started at 8.30am and were joined by the NUJ's General Secretary Jeremy Dear, pictured, who emphasised we had the full support of the union behind us.

Richard Foster, a subeditor at The Press and composer of our strike ballad, was joined by his son and fiddler Daniel to keep our spirits high at the mid-point of our five-day action. He played a range of Scottish, Irish and even Norwegian fiddle tunes to keep the line's feet tapping. Then we had a number of rousing renditions of our strike song Things I Learnt This Year.

Members of the NUT and Unison joined us to help hand our fliers and press our case. At noon the group of about 15 union members headed into the city centre and set up our stall on Parliament Street. We handed out copies of our strike newspaper The Stress - today with an exclusive York Knights rugby league story - and encouraged shoppers to sign our petition demanding Newsquest give us a fair pay rise.

We will be back again tomorrow to show there will be no let up in our demand for fair pay . To see highlights from today, watch this video:

Strike paper scores scoop

Our strike paper, The Stress, today scored a scoop on the management cobbling together The Press with an exclusive story about the city's football team.

The story concerning former York City captain Manny Panther's prospective move to Exeter City was entirely missed by The Press. But fans could still find out the news thanks to the strike paper, 1,250 of which were handed out yesterday. The Stress is carrying a mixture of news about the strike and exclusive stories readers only available to the dedicated journalists on the picket line. We are set for another three exclusive stories in Saturday's edition.

Joint Father of Chapel, Tony Kelly, said the support for the strike has been brilliant. He said: "We are overwhelmed by the support we have received from the public, councillors and our colleague inside the building. Countless numbers of drivers are responding to our 'Honk for fair pay' placards.

"There was much interest in our stall - more than 1,000 people took leaflets before lunchtime - and our strike paper The Stress, which covers the dispute in depth, was also popular on the picket line. We even managed to secure an exclusive story in the sports pages which The Press had not heard about.

"The weather has been perfect with glorious sunshine. The managing director came out yesterday and tried to dampen our spirits by telling us it would rain but he was wrong.

Power is in chapel's hands

Another hot, sunny day on the York line and more feel-good vibes among the pickets. We started early again at 7.30am and although there were a few tired legs our spirits were high and about 25 union members picketed throughout the day. We were joined by former NUJ regional organiser Miles Barter, from the Manchester Branch, as well as NUJ official Jenny Lennox. They brought their branch's impressive-looking banner, which we raised in front of the building.

Early on Tracey Simpson-Laing, a Labour member of City of York Council, dropped by on her bicycle to give us some chocolate muffins. Shortly after, her colleague and leader of the Labour group, David Scott, visited the picket again to pass on his best wishes.

In mid-morning Alan Hughes, Newsquest York's official chaplain, and vicar at St Deny's Church, a few hundred metres from the offices in Walmgate, wished us well. Although he is unable to take an official line on the dispute, he said he believed the church should take an interest and said he had told management he would not cross the picket line.

Fellow York trade unionists were also out in force today. We were visited by Linda Cartwright, the York PCS Branch secretary; Andy Stainforth, the T&GWU rep for First York buses; and Frank Ormston, a TSSA rep at Network Rail. We also received a call from Paul Clays, the CWU at the city's Royal Mail sorting office. They all said their members and branches are giving us their full support.

Michelle Stanistreet, the NUJ National Executive Committee member for newspapers and also Mother of Chapel at Express newspapers, in London, phoned to send solidarity greetings and to see how we were getting on. Hopefully Michelle will be visiting the picket line on Monday. We were happy to see two members of the Yorkshire Post/Yorkshire Evening Post Joint NUJ Chapel - Mike Cowling and Richard Edwards - on the line. Leeds NUJ members have contributed £750 to our strike fund and we are hugely grateful for their solidarity.

Support from motorists, bus drivers and council workers was again high - with almost constant honking of horns on the street. Friends inside the building have told us all the noise can clearly be heard inside the editorial floor, which one staff member described as "a cross between a cemetery and Sainsbury's at midnight". We're determined to keep on making our point to the bosses inside the building.

During the day we received a chocolate egg from York City Football Club's mascot, Yorkie the Lion, and text messages of support from the following:

• Tim Lezard, Gloucestershire NUJ Branch and South West TUC
• Richard Simcox, NUJ London Press & PR Branch
• Tom Davies, NUJ NEC member and London Freelance Branch
• Richard Edwards, Leeds NUJ Branch
• and NUJ members and supporters in West Yorkshire, York and Leicestershire
  

Our four members dressed in Edwardian garb descended on the city centre once more. On Day 1, they managed to gatecrash the official Lord Mayor's Parade, pictured below. This time they headed for the city's Shambles in search of actor and Sharpe star Sean Bean. He was in town filming for a movie of Robinson Crusoe and we thought we'd try to infiltrate the set and get him to the picket line. No luck so far, but we did get a number of extras on set supporting the strike. We'll keep on trying.

Another great day on the picket line. Everyone had fun, and enjoyed the sun and solidarity. We'll be back again on Saturday, bright and early to continue our campaign for fair pay.

Protest songs on picket line

Our picket-line rocked with pride and passion on the second day of our strike.

Outside the Walmgate offices of The Press and the Gazette & Herald, strikers and members of the public were of one voice thrilled by an al fresco concert by The Press subeditor and NUJ member Richard Foster.

He opened his pavement gig with the self-penned Things I Learnt This Year, written as part of the five-day campaign against a derisory three per cent pay offer from Newsquest (York). Click on the video panel below to see some footage of the performance (apologies for the quality).



As strikers joined in, Fozzy, backed by the Fozettes, had Walmgate jumping, pictured. The concert continued with equal gusto and a flurry of favourite tunes including Redemption Song, Quinn The Eskimo, Snoopy And The Red Baron, Joe Hill and Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life, before launching into an even more rousing reprise of his heartfelt strike ballad.

His song was first aired in public at a special folk concert given by star American folk singer Dana Robinson. During the gig at the Black Swan Folk Club, Robinson dedicated a protest song in tribute to the striking journalists and photographers whose newspapers belong to the Newsquest empire, owned by American parent company Gannett, which made $1 billion profit last year. To hear the song in full, log on to our YouTube site here.

Second day support still strong

Bosses pleading poverty
York Respect/Left List fully supports your strike. It's a scandal that employers are pleading poverty and offering "rises" that amount to pay cuts at a time when prices of life's necessities are rising much faster than the official inflation rate. The looming recession was not created by workers, and we should not be made to pay for it through pay cuts, job cuts, or attacks on our public services as companies try to boost their profits at our expense, and government slashes social spending to subsidise its wars. The fantastic support for your strike from all over the country gives the lie to the idea that recent elections demonstrate a mass shift to the right. In fact, strikes are becoming more popular as ordinary people look for ways to resist the impact of attacks from bosses and government.
Frank Ormston
York Respect/Left List

Bookshop behind us
Good luck with your fight for a living wage. The fact that you have taken a stand should inspire other journalists and private sector workers to take on the corporations and stand up for fairness and respect at work. Unity is strength!
Jonathan Maunder on behalf of Bookmarks - the UK's biggest socialist bookshop and appointed bookseller to the TUC.

Cutting to the bone
Good luck with the strike. It is sad that journalists have to take this kind of action to secure a wage that doesn't even keep up with inflation and still remains appallingly low by anyone's standards, especially for what, people forget, is a professional job. I congratulate you for standing up to the bosses, who, like ours - Trinity Mirror - are using the downturn in the economy as an excuse for more pitifully poor pay offers and cannot even ensure parity between employees on different titles. It's shameful that management plead poverty yet splurge millions on director's salaries, and that they only try to compound what advertising income they have retained rather than investing to increase it, like good businesspeople would. Journalism will continue to suffer if ruthless companies like Newsquest wear away at the integrity of its editorial staff and its titles by trying to batter and exhaust its employees into submission with low pay, increasing workloads and a deplorable and embarassing lack of investment.
Ian Proctor - FoC West London and Bucks NUJ Chapel

Admire chapel's courage
Just wanted to say that I wholly support your action and admire your courage for taking it. You are sending a very powerful message to Newsquest and your example will give confidence and hope to other journalists in a similar position. I will join you on the picket line over the weekend!
Sandra Geere, York NUJ Branch member

No overtime paid
As a fellow Newsquest journalist, I wish you all the best in your dispute. It's not as though we are well paid. A rookie police constable earns more than many highly experienced journalists with years of service. Unlike the police, we do not get overtime.
Mike Condor

Trade union tradition
For the first time in twenty years teachers took national strike action three weeks ago. Your stand in favour of true journalism as opposed to profiteering garbage is in the best traditions of trade unionism. Solidarity greetings from Leicester NUT.
Peter Flack, assistant secretary

We'll move mountains
Wishing all success to the chapel their strength is our strength; with it we can move mountains and will.
John Fray, retiring NUJ deputy general secretary

Teachers support strike
Best wishes to you all in your struggle.
Howard Stevenson (UCU & NUT)

Greetings from Manchester
Greetings from the NUJ chapel at the Manchester Evening News - don't let them grind you down, you have a valid case and deserve better. Best of luck.
Judy Gordon, MoC

Folk musicians back fair pay fight

American folk singers Dana and Susan Robinson, pictured above, paid tribute to the bravery of members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) who are striking for more pay at The Press, in York.

During their gig at the Black Swan Folk Club on Thursday night, Dana said: “The journalists in York are very brave to go out on strike. It really does seem to be the right thing to do. Inflation keeps going up and when people don’t get paid more, they get restless.”

As a tribute to the strikers, he played a song he composed about the great American folk singer Woody Guthrie entitled What Would Woody Do? The final verse starts: “He’d say when you find a thing that’s wrong, put your finger on it. ‘Cause you don’t have to be a poet to write a song about it. You’re gonna get your point across if it’s anywhere near true. What would Woody do?”

Before the duo sang their tribute to the strikers, one of them, Richard Foster, went to the front with his guitar to sing his protest song about the strike. Things I Learnt This Year (Strike Version), based on a Show Of Hands song, was well received by members of the audience who admired the stand taken by the striking journalists. Many read copies of the strike newspaper, which were distributed at the Black Swan pub, in York, and voiced messages of support.

Dana and Susan Robinson are touring the United Kingdom to promote their latest album Round My Door. Go to the website for more details.

Councillors speak out

With today being the date of City of York Council's annual meeting - and the handover for the Lord Mayor of York - there were plenty of local politicians in town. We were greatly encouraged when Labour group leader Coun David Scott and his colleague Coun James Alexander (pictured above with Fathers of Chapel Sam Southgate and Tony Kelly) visited our picket line to express their firm support for York journalists.

Later on, the Green Party group leader Coun Andy D'Agorne stopped by to offer his backing. Then, to complete a hat-trick of political groups, Coun Ceredig Jamieson-Ball, Liberal Democrat councillor for Heslington, visited the picket line and sent us this message of support:

"It is important that employees in York are able to earn similar rates of pay as other workers. It seems to me that Newsquest are trying to take advantage of York journalists. They should be offered the same rate as elsewhere."

While all this was going on, the Lord Mayor of York's limousine drove past our picket, with the civic party on board. The driver gave us a toot. We like the fact one of the new mayor Coun Brian Watson's first acts in office was supporting our strike. Good on you, Brian.

We offer all these councillors our sincere thanks for showing such solidarity.

What the Dickens?!

While we are on the picket line battling for decent pay and conditions, we are keen to pay tribute to the trade unionists of yesteryear who made so much progress by fighting for working people.

We are particularly keen to honour those heroes who took part in the NUJ's first ever strike - at the York Herald in 1911 - over Dickensian conditions that saw them working 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

In this vein, four of our members borrowed Edwardian costumes from York Theatre Royal to press home the point that nearly 100 years later trade unions are still fighting on these issues.

Despite scorching temperatures, our four intrepid members trekked around the centre of York handing out fliers and talking to shoppers about our strike.

Pictured in front of York Minster, the four also gatecrashed the Lord Mayor's Procession (the city's ceremonial leader was handing over the baton today). The support from councillors there was massive, with many members of City of York Council and their staff backing our stand.

All out for fair pay

It has been a brilliant first morning of action at The Press and the Gazette & Herald's headquarters in Walmgate, York. More than 25 union members and supporters turned out on the first day of our five-day strike over pay.

We started early - at 7.30am - and we were early enough to wave our placards at management as they slunk into the car park. Later colleagues in the (non-unionised) advertising and circulation department expressed their support as they arrived at work.

The backing from members of the public was immense, with countless drivers responding to our "Honk for fair pay" placards. There was much interest in our stall - more than 1,000 people took leaflets before lunchtime - and our strike paper The Stress, which covered the dispute in depth, was also popular on the picket line.

Colleagues from York Unison came and joined the picket line early on and at lunchtime, while the postal workers in the CWU gave us their backing. Messages of support have also been flooding in by text to the picket line. Thank you to everyone who is supporting us. We've had solidarity greetings from:

• Brent Trades Council
• The Guardian's media desk
• Irish NUJ members
• Manchester Mental Health Branch Unison
• NUJ members at Northcliffe in Bristol
• British Association of Occupational Therapists members in Manchester
• Manchester trade unionist Karen Reismann
• NUJ East Yorkshire Branch
• Kyran Connolly, NUJ National Executive Committee member for books
• NUJ South Yorkshire Branch and the Rotherham Advertiser Chapel
• NUJ Newsquest Bradford Chapel
• NUJ Newsquest Darlington Chapel
• NUJ BBC Lonndon Branch
• NUJ Book Branch members
• NUJ members at Minster FM
• Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ National Executive Committee member for newspapers and Mother of Chapel at Express Newspapers
• Members of the PCS union
• NUJ Coventry Newspapers Chapel
• NUJ Sheffield Newspapers Chapel
• NUJ London Press and PR Branch
• NUJ News Shopper Chapel
• Ian Allinson, Unite executive council member
• Miles Barter, NUJ Manchester Branch
• NUJ Scottish office
• Kate Carr, NUJ BBC and Wales Council
• Jeremy Dear, NUJ general secretary
• LexisNexis NUJ negotiating team
• NUJ Scotland
• NUJ Evening Echo/Irish Examiner Chapel
• NUJ Bolton News and Bury Times Chapel
  
• and NUJ members in Cardiff, Manchester, York and Leeds

Standing up again

On November 5, NUJ members at The Press and the Gazette & Herald took collective action as part of the union's Stand Up For Journalism day. Fed up of a culture of rising workloads, understaffing and poor wages, we staged two collective tea breaks to demonstrate our strength of feeling. Now we are preparing to stand up again, this time about pay.

Our protest last autumn was about the threat to quality local journalism posed by companies that are only too happy to cut resources back to the bone to boost profits. Our dispute is also about challenging the thinking of companies such as Newsquest that refuse to invest in their journalists or their newspapers but still rake in millions of pounds while the quality of their products - and the service they can provide to the community - declines.

We had a wonderful day of action on November. Here's hoping for more fireworks come Thursday.