Journalists join wages battle
Socialist Press1978 1978-12-06Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 12 →
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NUJ members picket their Executive calling f strike action strike which started on Monday.
About 80% of the 8,500 provincial NUJ members affect: ing 1,200 papers were out by ühe end of the first day.
Despite a wave of predictions in the press leading up to the strike that it would have a half-hearted response the NUJ members have given massive backing to the claim for £20 across the board, a 35 hour week and an extra week's holiday.
The Press Association agency -whose copy is wired to all provincial dailies-voted 86-76 to refuse a union instruction to come out in support.
This was despite the Exec. utive's decision to give them £50 strike pay a week each. Provincial journalists will receive nothing.
National Executive member, Harold Pearson, foreign desk editor at the PA, resigned from the Executive of the NUJ as soon as it voted 14-7 to call the strike.
In May 1977 he led his members across a picket line at PA during a one-day national strike.
The 76. in favour of obeying FUND The November Fund closed £47.38 over the top of our £600 target-a welcome development which could stand repeating this month.
With Christmas festivities likely to demand much of the financial resources of our readers and supporters at the and of the month we are eager to raise the Decomber fund as quickly as possiblo.
All donations should be sant to: Socialist Press Monthly Fund, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, London NW5 1HR. them.
The only other major rejection came at the Birmingham Post where members voted over whelmingly to continue working. Again pickets were set up.
The strikers must now prepare for a hard and possibly long battie.
The • union bureaucracy called the strike under severe pressure from below and will call it off at the first sign of weakness.
Optimistic comments about a "short, sharp strike" from General Secretary Ken Ashton do nothing to prepare for the battle.
His letters to general secretaries appealing for 'support' incredibly asked no more than that their members did their "normal work":
Chapels must demand that any offer be rejected short of the claim and that power to recommend acceptance lie only with a recall meeting of Chapel FoCs.
Printers must come out alongside this strike on their own claims against the 5%.
No sell out! PHOTO: Laurence Sparham, IFL EMBLEY & BRE BACK BOLTON STRIKE NOW
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STRIKEVOW NOW