of new technology.
THE DISPUTE which has left 28 NUJ members at Nottingham out of work since December brewing since the late bus. The Issues involved are so serious, attacking the foundations of trade union organisation, that it hastaken the NUJ and the print unions almost a decade to get to grips with them.
T. Bailey Forman (TBF) is one of the few surviving family-owned newspaper publishers Britain. In the replace outdated equipment computer technology. company's steam-age relations survived — and in the hands of managing director Christopher Pole-Carew, the Forman family's hired 'hitman', they became considerably worse.
In 1967 the Nottingham Evening Post became the first UK paper instal a general purpose computer for setting editorial text and adverts.
The introduction of the computer using a system known character recognition met opposition from the NGA because of its potential replace skilled unskilled typists. At appears, TBF took decision to take on the unions and break them, so that it could introduce new technology entirely on its own terms.
The company converted fully to photo-composition in 1973 and in June of that year its chance came to over process for making the plates which the newspaper is printed.
days before the SLADE were aue agreement on operating this process — it was not being used anywhere else in Britain al management sacked print workers in SLADE who refused to handle it in advance of national talks. hundred staff were eventually locked united action.
The NGA-SLADE agreement was made within the first week, but the dispute lasica anomici. because of the company's insistence members loyal to them should not be disciplined. The unions successfully insisted on their right to discipline members, according to the respective rule member was fined f25. He paid up and is still an active elsewhere. The rest were expelled, and bother readmission, which at carried a maximum fee of £30 -small price for six weeks" breaking.
Claiming that victimised members, the recognition. unions had lost their 100 membership, they could not press the company to change its attitude.
The dispute was used by TBr as an excuse for closing the morning paper, the Guardian-journal, and resulted in Socialist Challenge 30 August 1979 MANAGEMENT of the Nottingham Evening Post has taken its approach to the unions straight out of the Tories' copybook, crushing journalists' and printworkers' organisation alongside the introduction The story of that defeat, and of the Grunwick-style mass pickets that are now seeking to reinstate 28 sacked journalists — the next is on Saturday — is told here by ROBIN ANDERSON; a member of the journalists' chapel at the Evening Post and its former father.
has been NUJ, have been agreements.
independent, 60s it began to WIEN But the Hardy as optical that stage, conscious NGA and finalise an Cartoon: RAY DRURY weeks Repeated factor NUJ disobedience union member technology unimpeded. apply for In December 1976, that time first-ever story strike journalists.
unions had steadily Since all editorial departments per cent 1 wavel transferred to commercial printing which operated in liaison non-union plant.
drew 148 redundancies. It was the second work. round of job-axing in 18 months. The first, at the end of 1971, cost 95 jobs.
NGA SLADE
the company ever since, over recognition and persistent breaching of national closed management that employees who took industrial action would be sacked were a major the NUJ chapel's of several national instructions to take action:
Meanwhile TBF introduced its new the company tion.
made history by publishing Britain's LU OC "set' by Electronic editing, staff using visual display units instead of typewriters and copy paper, was introduced into most Many printers no longer needed production were posse work subsidiaries, with a The only official meeting between unions and management took place in Nottingham in September 1977 when Pole-Carew repeated his views that trade unions had no role to play in his company. unions, SLADE, and NUJ in particular, then industrial action which included a boycott on all TBF commercial print This was introduced last year by the NGA and SLADE.
Within a matter of weeks the company had lost business worth well over f1m a year, and failed in its bid to obtain a High Court injunction to. have the boycott lifted.
The following year, 1978, TBF down commercia subsidiaries and. made 5% redundant, including the last of the 1973 SLADE members.
That December over provincial journalists took part in the NUJ's first-ever indefinite national strike. Twenty-eight members at the Evening. Post detied management sacking threats, pledged their support their profession and to thousands journalists scandalously low wages, by voting to take part in the strike.
Despite being a member of the Newspaper Society, the employers victimisations, TBF took unilateral action and sacked the 28, alleging breach of contract. At the end of the Christopher Pole-Carew (left) managing director of the Nottingham Evening Post.
As High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, he takes an impartial view of the kind of police * tactics (right) used against the mass pickets of the Post.
The next picket is on Saturday.
national action which won members a 14.5 per cent rise, Nottingham 28 reported for work but were physically prevented from even entering the building. The company has consistently refused to meet union officials and has rejected suggestion of mediation or conciliaSo intense is managing director Pole-Carew's opposition to us that when a TV programme was being made about the dispute he refused to be in the samestudio as NUJ officials.
When pickets held a sit-in paper's offices earler this year to demand talks, Pole-Carew and a of thugs kicked and punched them out of the building.
Pursuing their own recognition campaign, the NGA and began to boycott the Evening Post's major advertisers response was quick. Lord Denning granted an injunction suspending the boycott, and when unsuccessfully appealed against this, NGA, it had to fork out costs estimated at £80,000 The Evening Post has published throughout the mainly to journalists who have beer expelled from the NUJ for breaking. The union has been pledged executive to the biggest-ever campaign reinstatement and union gecognition.
printers 8,000 the paid This is taking place on several fronts. There have been several mass pickets, with a thousand attending on 16 June, including a strong contingent of printworkers as well as some 30 young Nottinghamshire miners. To a triumphant chorus of The workers united will never managed to turn back one of the delivery vans, but others were moved by a heavy police contingent.
Among those arrested
picket hise NUJ president, who was fined f250 for the obstruction! It is pure coincidence that Pole-Carew is the present High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, and most unlikely that he bought the police 20 gallons of beer for their efforts on the all 16 June picket.
The isolation materials, and spares is objective, because of the non-union lines of supply which between 1973-78, selves for the inevitable dispute. in the weekly, the Nottingham News, which has built up a healthy circulation of around 14,000.
At a seven-hour dispute held by the NUJ executive two SLADE weeks ago, it was decided that all chapels should in February. The the NGA Amended that Newspaper thanks strike negotiations 'NUJ's newspaper field. to secure the Nottingham defeated', con in been the NUJ September is Recreation of supplies, but this hasn't been easy management set up preparing themThe 28 have launched their own debate on the hold mandatory meetings to discuss financial support, disruptive meetings, and fixed-term and indefinite strikes executive has also recomthere should. be no negotiations the Society until it either makes TBF comply with the terms of the last settlement or expels it. This would mean local instead of national in the provincial The executive pledged support to workers' co-operative, and said it would use its good offices to raise the capital to make the paper commercially viable But there was much criticism of the paper's lack of industrial and political coverage, not least the fact that it had not mentioned the 16 June picket.
Securing those NUJ jobs at TBF will be a long, hard slog, but it's a fight to preserve the right of workers to strike without fear of being sacked the most tundamenta of trade union principles. No union can afford to see T. Bailey Forman win. Be with us this Saturday.
*Assembly point for pickets on 1 Nottingham's Forest Ground off Mansfield Road at Ipm, for a march to the mass picket outside the Forman Street offices of the Evening Post, to 'greet' the Saturday editions.
More than 50 coaches, organised by the NUJ, NGA, AUEW, SLADE, and NUM branches, will be heading for Nottingham.
For details ring the father or mother of the chapel on your loca newspaper, or the NUJ 01-278 7916. London coaches leane 4o 8k M. Most Kings Cross Station, at sam. coaches are paid for by the unions, so there is a minimal charge to pickets.
IN A television interview shortly after meeting Employment Secretary James Prior last week, Len Murray spelt out his opposition to the Tory proposais on union reform. improve industrial relations? That's what I want answered,' Murray challenged in his most militant-sounding mood for years.
Then came the rub. 'We had four years of relations even if last winter was a bad one? Murray argued.
In other words, the TUC general secretary agrees with the Tory 'good' and relations. Where he differs is on how to achieve the former 'How will they under Labour, government on what Murray is opposed to legal AD
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out, the first time in the industry's history that all five unions have taken