of reimposing sanctions now that we have lifted them,' Ken Morgan, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, admitted to journalists from local papers who had come to picket the NUJ's resumed negotiations with the Newspaper Society proprietors on Monday.
and the reinstatement of over 60 Journalists sacked by the Kentish Times and Siough Evening Mail which persuaded the NUT's negotiating committee to call 1,000 London suburban journalists back to work and put an end to the nationallyimposed sanctions.
Yet it was the effectiveness of Chese sanctions - including a refusal to handle the work of non-NUI contributors-which inspired the Kendish Timer sackings in the first place. Now that NUI chapels have succeeded -for the first time in many years- in really pressurising their affluent managements, they are justifiably afraid that this new retreat by their negotiators could rapidly turn into a Tout.
Year after year, NUJ annual conferences have vigorously censured the executive for selling out to the Newspaper Society press barons. Junior journalists-who often head news desks although they are meant It was the offer of "more pay talks" to be under training-still begin at an incredible EJ 4 a week, Even the most experienced provincial journalists caro little mote than £40, although their employers are notching up millions.
List week the London action committee took a hint from previous experience when they moved into the action room at the NUF offices throwing out the national officials and taking co-ordination of the strike action into their own hands. They completely stopped 26 of London's bundred or so pupers (in their vatious editions), and editorially gutted another dozen. If the strike action had continued, militants fully expected to bring at least half of the papers to a total standstill.
of secret deals made last Friday, and supported by a 7 to 1 vote by the negotiators. Unfortunately the action committee was not strong enough to hold out against the back-to-work call.
If the anticipated stab in the back materialises, demora lisation will almost certainly follow. The Newspaper Society journalists are weary of being thrown against a brick wall and instructed to leave off just as the bricks begin lo crumble.
There is u very real need for u socialist grouping within the union which can wage a consistent and independent fight for the ideas necessary to take the struggle forward. Unfortunately, Journalists Charter, dominated by the International Socialists, has so far failed to take on this task. But the crunch came as a result WO STRIKES ARE AS EASY AS ONE Margan (centrel under fire from militant journalists on Monday for calling off sanction simply to resume talks with the bosses.