Print union joins journalists' fight
1972Alex Mitchell Read the scan at ETOL (PDF) →Read from the scan by machine and not corrected: headlines and words can be misread, and a caption or advert can run into the text. For anything you quote, read the scan.
Journalists has launched an all-out campaign against the management of United Press International, which is victimizing trade union members of the staff.
The strike has been made official by the NUJ.
And yesterday the National Graphical Association was drawn into the dispute when UPI dismissed NGA members who were "blacking' copy, cables and pictures in the office.
UPI's London office is hit by a total strike by the 20-strong chapel, who are opposing the victimizations and new work schedules for a 45-hour week.
Trouble began at the office almost six weeks ago when American members of the staff were recruited to the NU] so their interests could be projected while they worked on contract in this country.
The management immediately retaliated by dismissing the father of the chapel, Mark Grantham. After a threat of union action in his defence, the management relented and Grantham was reinstated.
In the ensuing weeks UPI withdrew the harsh work schedules which apply to the American members of staff, only to reimpose them suddenly on Monday of this week When they arrived at work the Americans were given an ultimatum of either accepting the 45hour week or reporting to the New York office on September 4.
The NUJ stepped into the dispute by calling a permanent mandatory chapel meeting at UPI which effectively pulled the editorial staff out on strike.
At a meeting of the Central London branch a series of measures was agreed to step up the fight against UPI. They include: • Stopping the rerouting Press Association cables to UPI's Brussels office. • Checking with the Department of Employment on the work permits of scabs being brought from overseas to work in the London office. • Approaching scabs with NUJ membership cards and asking them to join the strike. • Getting the five-man UPI reporting team at the Munich Olympics to join the strike (they have already done so). • Contacting the Post Office unions to prevent UPI from using cable and wireless services to circumvent the strike and the blacking of their copy.
Now that NGA men have been dismissed the strike could develop into a showdown not only with the NUJ but with the Printing and Kindred Trades rederation, the organization of all the main unions involved in newspaper production.
Part two