Christmas Party

The Brighton and Mid-Sussex NUJ Christmas Party is taking place next week, Tuesday 20 December at Redroaster Coffeehouse, 1d St James Street, Brighton 8-10.30pm.

Join us for another glorious gathering of NUJ members for free drinks, food, music - and free Harveys (while supplies last!) As always, non-members are very welcome, but will be expected to pay for their own drinks.

Venue: Click here for a handy venue map. Disabled access

We look forward to seeing you then!

The NUJ Team

30 November march

The NUJ Brighton and Sussex branch demo on the day of action. Apologies to Adam Oxford, who is behind a placard.

Defending pensions and local news...

Our NUJ leaflet for Wednesday...

Our Banner!

Thanks to our Branch Secretary, we now have our very own banner to rally round. Look out for it next Wednesday 30 November at the march: 11.30 in Victoria Gardens.

Defend pensions - come and join the day of action

On Wednesday, November 30, a national day of action will be held to defend public sector pensions. A number of sister unions will be striking on the day, while rallies, marches and protests will be held around the country.

This promises to be the largest co-ordinated action by trade unions for many years. As NUJ members, it is important we recognise the campaign and offer our support. Some of our fellow members will be on strike, while the attacks on public sector pensions affect everyone. Even if individual members do not take part, it is vital that journalists report the day’s events fairly and accurately

The NUJ will be represented at the march in Brighton, so please come along and look out for the banner. Those taking part will assemble at 11.30am at Victoria Gardens for a march to The Level. More details at: http://falseeconomy.org.uk/nov30/event/brighton-hove-march-and-rally

Look at the special website featuring news, videos and resources for the campaign on pensions: http://pensionsjustice.org.uk/

If you can't make the Brighton march there is also information on what’s happening, when and where around the region and the rest of country: http://falseeconomy.org.uk/nov30/uk/all

More details from the NUJ at http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=2296

See also the posting below about the Save our local news campaign.

Save Our Local News

Save Our Local News! Message from the BBC Brighton NUJ chapel:

Dear listener,

We write to ask you for your support in helping to avert cuts to BBC Sussex which will seriously affect the quality of your local radio station.

You are not being told the truth by the BBC – here are the full facts.

The BBC has told you that there will be changes at BBC Sussex because of the cutbacks imposed by its Delivering Quality First programme. It has said that the afternoon programme and some other shows will be shared across stations.

But in fact the BBC has also announced plans to cut the equivalent of up to twelve staff jobs at BBC Sussex – a total of about one third of the staff.

The programmes that you listen to and contribute to require a small number of highly trained people, with an intimate knowledge of the kind of things that are of interest to listeners just like you.

So, if the BBC cuts one third of staff at BBC Sussex, then the quality of your programmes will inevitably suffer.

Fewer people will mean we can’t do the job that we have been doing for so many years. It will seriously affect our ability to report on the issues that concern you and in time it could affect the long-term chance of BBC Sussex surviving as a service.

We ask you to log on to the BBC website and register your views on the risk to BBC Sussex - your local radio station before 21st December.
You need to go here: http://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/bbc/dqf/. Click 'Online consultation' and read the section 'Delivering Quality First: Public Consultation - Section 4: Nations and Regions'

You can read about what the BBC says and then you can register your own views.

BBC Brighton NUJ chapel

Support BBC journalists

BBC Local Radio journalists are facing 25% job cuts and have balloted for strike action. The Brighton & Mid-Sussex Branch of the NUJ has organised a meeting to discuss what's happening and how we can help. Paul Siegert and Paul Sawtell will be there from BBC Sussex NUJ. Please try and get along.

It's:

Monday, November 21, 8pm
Lord Nelson (back room), Trafalgar Street, Brighton.

Next meeting: What can your union do for you? What can you do for your union?

Calling all NUJ members!
What can your union do for you? What can you do for your union? Come along and find out...

Our next Brighton & Sussex NUJ branch meeting will take place:

7pm Monday November 14
at the Redroaster Cafe, St James's Street, Brighton
We will be joined by national officer (publishing) Don Mackglew

On the agenda for our November meeting:

- Election of branch committee members
At our October meeting a committee slate was proposed:
Peter Knight (as branch secretary)
Phil Mellows (as branch treasurer)
Amy Riley
Adam Powley
Adam Oxford
Fred Pipes
An Argus rep
A BBC rep

Come to the meeting or email us if you wish to stand for any of these positions, branch chair, equalities officer, health & safety officer, and any specific position you think our branch should have for its members. We hope to create a flexible and open branch committee to meet all members' needs, which is open to anyone who wants to come and take part. The more the merrier. Please call or email if you'd like further information about standing for any of these positions, what's involved and how you can help.

- Further job losses at the Argus
A report from Argus workers about management's plans and a discussion about how we can all build support for any action.

- Balloting for action in the BBC in response to cuts
Do you work for the BBC? Have you received your ballot yet? Come along to this meeting to find support.
http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=2299

- Supporting potential public sector strike action over pensions on November 30
What is your opinion on the strike? How can NUJ members support the fight for fair pensions for all? Shall we get a branch banner and march alongside fellow workers?

- Festive season party!
It's that time of year again... What shall we do? Come along with ideas for venues and events.

- Any other business
As always, what can we do to help you? How can you help your union?

Our union is only as good as we make it and your involvement is greatly welcomed, so please email us with any ideas, future meeting topics, further agenda items and your concerns, problems and news. Solidarity is strength.

Call or email any time.

Thanks,

Peter Knight
(acting) branch secretary
nujbrighton@gmail.com

Next Branch meeting

The next meeting will be held at the Fountain Head Pub on North Road, on Tuesday 18 October at 7.30pm.

Map here.

Please try and attend. As you may know Rachael and Adam have both resigned from the committee, leaving Phil Mellows as the only remaining officer. This meeting was going to include the election for a new secretary to take over from Rachael, but this will now be in November as head office is taking over the election.

There is a real threat that the branch may close. This will mean no more local help with strikes and no local officers able to offer advice either in person or via phone/email. It will also mean an end to meetings with other local journos, no more talks such as the ones with Nick Davies, Andrew Crofts and Joanne Mallon, and no more Christmas parties, such as the one with Julie Burchill. Being an officer only takes up a few hours a month at the most, so please consider helping out.

Give Rachael a call on 07939 258 172 if you get lost on the night.

Brighton NUJ summer party

It's time for the Brighton NUJ summer party and we've decided to hold it indoors at The Mesmerist rather than attempt to hold it outside. The party attracts rain most years which is why this year we're not giving it a chance.

So put on your party frock and get ready to mingle with your Sussex colleagues while enjoying the free drinks. It's a great opportunity to network as well as catch up on the gossip.

The party will be kicking off at 7pm on Thursday 25 August in the downstairs bar of The Mesmerist (www.drinkinbrighton.co.uk/mesmerist), which is slap bang in the centre of town. Non-members are also welcome so please bring along any journo friends.

If you need any help finding it on the night, please give Rachael a call on 07939 258 172,

Thanks,

Brighton NUJ

BBC on strike

The picket line outside BBC Radio studios in Queens Road, Brighton. Photo taken by Adam Juniper.

22 June: Organising in New Media

Brighton & Mid-Sussex NUJ
Special open meeting on...

Organising in New Media
Wednesday June 22, 7.30pm
Upstairs at the Quadrant, Queens Road, Brighton
(Near the Clock Tower)
Speaker: Jenny Lennox

NUJ organiser Jenny Lennox is coming down to talk about why journalists working in new media should be in the NUJ. It's a great chance to discuss how we can expand the influence of the National Union of Journalists in Brighton and Hove and defend the jobs and and improve the pay and conditions of the many people here working in digital media and the web.

This meeting is open to non-NUJ members. Please invite anyone you think might be interested in finding out more about the union and what it can do for them.

Phil Mellows
Branch Committee

Next meeting and AGM

The next Brighton and Mid-Sussex NUJ branch meeting will be at 7.30pm on Thursday 14 April in the upstairs room of the Earth and Stars (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Earth-and-Stars/132353693470534). We will be holding our AGM, so if anyone would like to volunteer for any of the officer roles, this is the time to do it. The roles are: secretary, treasurer, chairman, welfare officer and student officer.

After the meeting there will be a talk by Joanne Mallon. Joanne is a freelance journalist and specialist career coach for people in media – her website is at www.MediaLifeCoach.com. She also runs the women in media networking group MediaWomenUK www.MediaWomenUK.com and can be found tweeting @joannemallon and blogging at http://joannemallon.typepad.com/joanne_the_coach/.

Joanne will be talking about negotiating rates, and how we can all get paid more for the work we do. She'll be looking at why talking cash is so tough, even for experienced professionals, and giving practical tips you can use the next time someone asks: "What are your rates?"

Joanne's talks have been extremely popular in the past so please turn up early if you don't want to be disappointed. Non-members are welcome, although they will be asked to donate a bit of change to the NUJ charity, NUJ Extra (http://www.nujextra.org.uk/).

We will also be discussing the summer party and the NUJ annual delegate meeting.

DM - a personal account from a first-timer

The NUJ DM in Southport 8-10 April 2011 was an initially bewildering but ultimately energising experience - 2.5 hard days of relentless speeches and voting. Here is my personal account, as a first-time delegate. I can't wait to get the next Journalist to see what actually was decided!

First: why DM? Well, that was answered in the very first motion that called for the Delegate Meeting to be made Annual again. Speakers against used the cost card and it was defeated 77 to 63. The discussion went on so long that the rest of the Order Paper was ruled out of time by the SOC (Standing Orders Committee). To understand what is going on we needed a mountain of paperwork: the Final Agenda booklet, the Annual Report and the Order Papers given out each morning and afternoon that outline any composite motions etc worked out by the 'horse trading' going on in back rooms. Any motions out of time were mopped up at the end of later sessions, and nothing was left out by the end.

In between motions we were treated to various presentations, including Members of Honour awards and an emotive address from Columbian journalist Claudia Julieta Duque. Most motions were carried unanimously; some spectacularly failed. One was a tie, the first in DM history. It was motion 144, proposed by the Irish Executive Council and calling for the workings of the Editorial Advisory Board of The Journalist to be reviewed. After a recount it was announced that under Standing Orders, the 54-54 tie would fail.

One motion that will directly affect our branch was no. 136 that amends rule 3, so that election to the union be no longer subject to a vote of hands at a branch meeting. All we can do is test that applicants meet the objective membership criteria as outlined by Rule 2 and they are in. Another interesting motion was no. 110 that ensures that only news (or information) gatherers are entitled to hold a press card - and that a new photo should be supplied on renewal. As someone pointed out, in the old days, everyone got a press card - I still get sent one, and the photo on it is ancient. Motion 91 condemning the actions of Newsquest will have relevance to our Argus members.

The 60+ group (I went along to their fringe meeting) was recognised for the first time in motion 69, although an amendment to pay expenses to meetings was defeated. In another motion 139 a plea to reduce the eligibilty for Life Membership to 30 years from 40 failed, again for cost reasons. The figure of £435,000 to implement this was disputed and it was also pointed out that people in the 'retired' category are not allowed to hold Branch offices or attend DM - something that will have to be looked into.

The DM was livened up by the presence of several student members sponsored by various branches, tweeting and making speeches. Internships versus work experience was a hot topic and motion 133 recommended ways we could attract more students into the union. London Freelance Branch's Cashback for interns campaign was praised, and the passing of Motion 128 could make membership easier in that you may only have to show you earn a quarter of your income from journalism, rather than half (subject to consultation). And no. 135 encouraged branches like ours to recruit more internet-related workers into the NUJ.

So, the message is: go out and recruit!

That's a quick round-up. I'll bring the paperwork along to the next meeting if anyone has any other questions.

Some other write-ups:

http://littlemiss-angelabrooks.blogspot.com/

http://londonphotographers.org/2011/04/nuj-delegate-meeting-report/

http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/wire/7721

http://www.bristolnuj.org.uk/2011/04/11/dm-2011-what-happened/