Agitate, Educate, Integrate: Shaping the Future

An NUJ conference looking at the impact of convergence and integration on the role of journalists, working practices, training and health and safety will be held on 5 May in London. Book the date in your diary now. For further details email campaigns@nuj.org.uk

Feb meeting - negotiate better rates

Journalist and media career coach Joanne Mallon will be sharing her tips on how to negotiate better rates and terms with commissioning editors. The talk will be held in the upstairs room of the Cricketers Pub on Black Lion Street, Brighton, from 7.30pm, on Tuesday February 27th Feb. Those already freelancing or staffers hoping to earn some money on the side will find this a useful talk packed with practical advice.

Joanne Mallon worked for ten years as a TV producer on shows including GMTV and This Morning, and her media coach work has been featured in The Guardian, The Independent and The Evening Standard. She regularly writes for national newspapers and magazines.

Check out her website at www.MediaLifeCoach.com for more information.

Hope to see you there,

Rachael and Adrian

Sit on regional TUC

The NUJ can appoint five reps to the Southern and Eastern Regional TUC for 2007/8.

The body brings together union reps to campaign and organise on issues like pay. health and safety, racism etc.

If you want to be nominated you need to come forward by noon on March 7.

There are five seats on each of nine councils. They are

Regional Council
Creative and Leisure Industries Committee
Disability Network
International Affairs Commitee
LGBT Network
Race Relations
Women's Rights
Public Services Committee and
Pensioners Network

And there's one seat up for grabs on:
Executive Committee as well as, on the same body,
a reserved women's seat; black, minority seat; disabled seat; youth seat and LGBT seat.

You can get yourself nominated at this month's meeting on Feb 27 at the Cricketers in Brighton.

Black Members' Conference

Confronting cronyism, nepotism and the old boy's network. Saturday 24 February, 10.30am at NUJ Headland House, 308-312 Gray’s Inn Road (nearest tube Kings Cross). Speakers to include Joe Harker, The Guardian; Sonia McKay, Working Lives Research Institute. The day will involve debates, discussion of motions, elections for the Black Members' Council and a buffet lunch. To reserve your place email lenac@nuj.org.uk

Be a mentor

HQ is looking for members to consider becoming NUJ mentors to help support new or inexperienced reps.

So it's looking for experienced members or reps to fill the role - you don't necessarily have to have been a chapel FoC or branch official.

The degree of commitment will vary - it could be training or supporting someone where you work or, at a branch level, being at the end of a phone to help reps.

The union is willing to make training available to any member wanting to be a mentor - if you feel it would be handy. In most cases the arrangement will be more of an informal support mechanism.

We'll be discussing this at the February meeting. So if you feel able to get in touch let us know - we've been asked to forward names of willing candidates to HQ by the end of March.