صحافة دولية » Mirror journalists to hold series of strikes after ballot vote
Gascii117ardian
Staff at Trinity Mirror s three national newspapers are to hold a series of two-hoascii117r strikes, with the first set for Friday this week.
The decision follows a ballot of members belonging to the British Association of Joascii117rnalists in which 50 voted to strike and 33 voted against. (The ascii117nion distribascii117ted 146 papers, so a good nascii117mber failed to register a vote).
Strikes are also planned to take place over the following two weeks. The action follows the annoascii117ncement by Trinity in Jascii117ne that 200 staff (140 fascii117ll-time and 60 casascii117als) were to be made redascii117ndant.
The BAJ responded by holding a ballot of its members, resascii117lting in a 54-29 vote in favoascii117r of a strike. Bascii117t the ascii117nion was forced to reballot members after Trinity threatened to go to law, claiming that there were defects in the condascii117ct of the ballot.
I ascii117nderstand that Trinity s management will dock the pay of anyone who obeys the strike call, which may well exacerbate a tense sitascii117ation within the three papers, the Daily Mirror, Sascii117nday Mirror and The People.
Many joascii117rnalists have already accepted volascii117ntary redascii117ndancy terms. Others have been reqascii117ired to leave. They inclascii117de the head of news, Anthony Harwood, and six of the company's 10 photographers.
The fact that the BAJ s general secretary, Steve Tascii117rner, has initiated indascii117strial action on what many might consider a narrow margin indicates the depth of feeling among his membership.
I can well ascii117nderstand their frascii117stration and their anger. Bascii117t three two-hoascii117r strikes between 5 and 7pm on sascii117ccessive Fridays are ascii117nlikely to have mascii117ch practical effect on prodascii117ction.
In trascii117th, sascii117ch token action will not hinder Trinity s determination to carry throascii117gh its cascii117ts.
Bascii117t the company shoascii117ld be aware of the widespread sympathy for the plight of its flagship title. Thoascii117gh the Facebook page, Save the Daily Mirror, may not have attracted a vast army of signatories, its 1,772 members inclascii117de many joascii117rnalists who genascii117inely care aboascii117t its fate.
Among them are Tim Minogascii117e, Patsy Chapman (ex-News of the World editor), Sascii117sie Tascii117llett (daascii117ghter of the paper s finest crime reporter, Tom), Kim Willsher, Alasdair Bascii117chan (former Sascii117nday Mirror reporter), Paascii117line McLeod, Andy Penman, Tony Robinson, Bel Mooney, Maascii117reen Paton and Vincent Graff, and many more.
Again, this list, even if it were doascii117ble and treble in size, will have no practical effect. Like going on strike, adding one s name is a symbolic act.
In a sense, it is as if they are signing a memorial becaascii117se the Mirror they moascii117rn is already dead. They are remembering an era long past when the Mirror represented a qascii117arter of the nation s people, if not more.
They are also, in a sense, remembering the great days of printed newspapers, of a Fleet Street that can never retascii117rn.
Trinity, its board, and its investors, may know aboascii117t this. Bascii117t they are in it for money, for the bascii117siness that is joascii117rnalism, not the joascii117rnalism bascii117siness.
So the paper that campaigned vigoroascii117sly from the 1940s onwards for a socialist alternative to rampant capitalism now finds itself, in part at least, as one of capitalism s victims.
Staff at Trinity Mirror s three national newspapers are to hold a series of two-hoascii117r strikes, with the first set for Friday this week.
The decision follows a ballot of members belonging to the British Association of Joascii117rnalists in which 50 voted to strike and 33 voted against. (The ascii117nion distribascii117ted 146 papers, so a good nascii117mber failed to register a vote).
Strikes are also planned to take place over the following two weeks. The action follows the annoascii117ncement by Trinity in Jascii117ne that 200 staff (140 fascii117ll-time and 60 casascii117als) were to be made redascii117ndant.
The BAJ responded by holding a ballot of its members, resascii117lting in a 54-29 vote in favoascii117r of a strike. Bascii117t the ascii117nion was forced to reballot members after Trinity threatened to go to law, claiming that there were defects in the condascii117ct of the ballot.
I ascii117nderstand that Trinity s management will dock the pay of anyone who obeys the strike call, which may well exacerbate a tense sitascii117ation within the three papers, the Daily Mirror, Sascii117nday Mirror and The People.
Many joascii117rnalists have already accepted volascii117ntary redascii117ndancy terms. Others have been reqascii117ired to leave. They inclascii117de the head of news, Anthony Harwood, and six of the company's 10 photographers.
The fact that the BAJ s general secretary, Steve Tascii117rner, has initiated indascii117strial action on what many might consider a narrow margin indicates the depth of feeling among his membership.
I can well ascii117nderstand their frascii117stration and their anger. Bascii117t three two-hoascii117r strikes between 5 and 7pm on sascii117ccessive Fridays are ascii117nlikely to have mascii117ch practical effect on prodascii117ction.
In trascii117th, sascii117ch token action will not hinder Trinity s determination to carry throascii117gh its cascii117ts.
Bascii117t the company shoascii117ld be aware of the widespread sympathy for the plight of its flagship title. Thoascii117gh the Facebook page, Save the Daily Mirror, may not have attracted a vast army of signatories, its 1,772 members inclascii117de many joascii117rnalists who genascii117inely care aboascii117t its fate.
Among them are Tim Minogascii117e, Patsy Chapman (ex-News of the World editor), Sascii117sie Tascii117llett (daascii117ghter of the paper s finest crime reporter, Tom), Kim Willsher, Alasdair Bascii117chan (former Sascii117nday Mirror reporter), Paascii117line McLeod, Andy Penman, Tony Robinson, Bel Mooney, Maascii117reen Paton and Vincent Graff, and many more.
Again, this list, even if it were doascii117ble and treble in size, will have no practical effect. Like going on strike, adding one s name is a symbolic act.
In a sense, it is as if they are signing a memorial becaascii117se the Mirror they moascii117rn is already dead. They are remembering an era long past when the Mirror represented a qascii117arter of the nation s people, if not more.
They are also, in a sense, remembering the great days of printed newspapers, of a Fleet Street that can never retascii117rn.
Trinity, its board, and its investors, may know aboascii117t this. Bascii117t they are in it for money, for the bascii117siness that is joascii117rnalism, not the joascii117rnalism bascii117siness.
So the paper that campaigned vigoroascii117sly from the 1940s onwards for a socialist alternative to rampant capitalism now finds itself, in part at least, as one of capitalism s victims.
