defend their pages New tacties and demands of struggle are urgently needed in the print and pub lishing industries to oppose the massive wave or cur-backs and closures already underway. The 40 workers of Time Out, a London weekly magazine with circulation of 50,000, last week pointed a finger in the right direction when they struck against the further encroachment of advertising matter in to the editorial pages of the The struggle had been brewing for some time after a steady cut-back of editorial matter by management. Sever al weeks ago the chapel took the decision to demand a weekly minimum of editorial pages in order to maintain the standard of the magazine and ultimately to defend the journalists' jobs.
On 5 July, after a particularly vicious increase in the ratio of ads, the joint NUJ/SOGAT/NGA chapel decided to take over that week's issue and put editorial matter. Management immed iately threatened to sack a SOGAT member if she didn't comply with their ad requirements. The chapel at once struck and occupied the offices, thus preventing the production of that week's issue.
After four days continuous occu pation, during which time the NUJ made the strike official, a compromise settlement was reached-for an average minimum editorial content during the official dispute period of 28 days, plus the re-instatement of the victimised A further demand for a chapel state ment explaining to the readership the reasons for the stoppage was not won. Management even went so far as to threaten complete liquidation of the magazine if their 'editorial prerogatives were further threatened! The chapel did win two days' extra pay, however, to produce a rush issue in three days.
The struggle for a workers' veto over management decisions goes on-the tac tie adopted, which could be used widely in the publishing industry to defend workers against cut-backs, is yet one more weapon in the media workers' armoury. Other workers in a similar position should take note Carl Gardner (NUJ, Time Out).
Red Weekly 22 July 1976 that. sport is Olympics 5