July meeting - Argus recognition one step closer

Minutes

Present
Fraser Addecott, Virginia Bridgewater, Adrian Colley, Jemima Kiss, David Blackman, Gordon Scott, Steve Whitehead, Rowan Dore, Jon Kendrick, Nicky Sullivan.

Apologies
Karen Hoy

1 Minutes
June minutes accepted.

2 New members
Several new members were admitted to the branch.

3 Correspondence
A letter from Justice for Colombia, thanking us for affiliating to the cause was handed round. The monthly copy of anti-fascist magazine Searchlight was also available.

4 Officer's reports
Treasurer Adrian Colley said we had £1,269.55 in the bank.

5 Chapel reports
Argus: Rowan Dore said the hot-off-the-press news was that union recognition had been won at the Argus that very day. The ballot had 100% support in favour of the NUJ representation on issues like pay and conditions. Discussions about a pay claim would be held in August at a Newsquest group chapel meeting. Rowan said some staff at the paper were on a pittance. He paid tribute to the hard work of Karen Hoy, the Mother of the Chapel.

6 Donations
The branch gave £100 to the Brighton and Hove Unemployed Workers Centre towards the cost of a summer outing for children in need. The outing, on the Bluebell Railway in East Sussex, was for kids whose parents are sick, out of work or on low income.

A donation of £60 was also agreed towards the cost of a national conference for freelance activists. This hopes to promote collective organisation of freelance members.

The meeting was followed by a talk from a speaker from the Cuba Solidarity Campaign.