Strikes are good #1: Tindle Newspapers

Tindle Newspapers journalists working on the company's North London titles, including the Barnet Press, recently took six days' strike action. They were protesting against their workload, the result of the owner of the company not replacing staff as they leave.

Times are hard for the local newspapers business, but Tindle Newspapers, owned by Sir Ray Tindle, is still making a profit. Sir Ray boasts that he has never made people redundant - but that boast was not worth much to our local reporters, sub editors and photographers who were being asked to churn out - that is what it was starting to feel like - title after title with fewer and fewer resources.

The journalists, through their union the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), negotiated for a year with the company, simply asking for one more member of staff, but the negotiations came to nothing. The chapel (that's what the NUJ calls its union branches) took the step of voting to strike. They simply wanted to show that they had had enough; they chose to demonstrate that it is their labour that produces the titles that Tindle is proud to put out in his name.

They struck for six days in April - though they were docked 10 days' pay. Vastly inferior issues of the papers were produced by management in south London. The Tindle strikers' strike was imaginative and won support from the communities they serve, including local politicians. But Tindle Newspapers went quiet. The journalists thought long and hard; the editor came on board in a second ballot for strike action, a vote which again was unanimous in favour.

Tindle Newspapers agreed to talk again, and met the group of NUJ sponsored MPs in Parliament. And, happily, the two sides have now agreed a settlement which ends this dispute - see the journalists' blog for the news:

Following a successful day of negotiations Tindle has agreed to reverse its policy of non-replacement agreeing to a six month moratorium on present staffing levels – guaranteeing that if anyone in editorial leaves over this period they will be replaced. They have also agreed an extra reporter to work for half the week to help out with the current workload. The situation after six months will then be reviewed.

It has also withdrawn redundancy consultation notices issued to staff on the eve of their first walk out.

Jonathan Lovett FOC at North London & Herts Newspapers said: “It has been a long, hard struggle but we are satisfied with the result and now look forward to working together with Tindle to ensure our papers are returned to the quality publications which our readers deserve. We have many ideas for the future of our papers and we look forward to sharing them with the Tindle management across the table.”

This result was achieved through trade union members 'withdrawing their labour', to use the jargon, and showing their employers just how valuable they are to the company. You see, strikes are good.

Save local newspapers - public meeting, 4th July

Enfield hosts the launch of a national, National Union of Journalists campaign on Monday, July 4 to save local newspapers. It starts at 6.30pm at The Dugdale Centre in Thomas Hardy House, 39 London Road, Enfield, EN2 6DS. There will be a range of speakers followed by a Q&A session with The Enfield Nine. All are welcome.

Barnet Press journos vote for more industrial action

Just a quick one to bring you news that the Tindle Newspapers journalists, producers of the Barnet Press, who struck recently to protest against unfilled posts and an impossible workload have voted unanimously for further action in a ballot. They'll be joined this time by their editor. Here's a report on the journalism.co.uk website.

The Enfield journalists will play host at the public launch of a campaign by their union, the NUJ, to defend local newspapers. Details:

6.30pm, Monday 4 July at the Dugdale Centre, Thomas Hardy House, London Road, Enfield Town, EN2 6DS; speakers include the local MP and the new general secretary of the NUJ Michelle Stanistreet.

Citizen Smith journalism is not for me

Alfie Meadows, a philosophy student at Middlesex University, appears in court this Thursday, 9 June, on a charge of violent disorder. It strikes me as highly unlikely that Alfie is guilty of violent disorder and highly likely he finds himself in the dock because he was hit on the head, nearly fatally, probably by a police officer, at the student demonstration in London on 9 December. That's the controversial part of this blogpost. I don't think the rest will be.

Supporters are holding a rally for Alfie at Westminster City Court, 70 Horseferry Road, at 9am on Thursday. If I can swing it, I'll go along there before I start work. If I do go, I'll take some photographs. What I won't do is share any photos with the local newspapers.

That's not because I don't like the journalists on the local newspapers. I do like them, and I'll happily help them out with pictures of local protests that I've had a hand in organising, when I know they can't send one of their own photographers to cover the event.

But I know there will be freelance photographers at the rally on Thursday for whom protests such as this are bread and butter. I'd quite like to have a stab at adding demo photography to my own CV - heaven knows, I attend enough of them! It's never going to be my day job though! (Have you seen my pictures?!) The temptation is there, however, to send a snap to the local papers. I could ask for money, and they'd probably say no, but if I asked for a credit they'd say yes and many people are happy with just that. There are few things as satisfying as seeing a photo you've taken in the paper.

I'm eschewing the pleasure, though. I've gone all principled. I'm not going to play citizen journalist in this instance, when I know I'd be depriving some other poor sod the chance of selling a picture - a fellow National Union of Journalists member at that!

Taking the moral high ground also lets me have a dig at Sir Ray Tindle, the owner of 200 plus local newspapers, including our own Barnet Press and associated titles. What's Tindle done that's annoying me? Stopped employing freelances on his north London newspapers.

Nine journalists there had taken two weeks' strike action to protest against their impossible workload, caused by Tindle not filling vacant posts. What has Tindle's response been? To dispense with the services of the freelance staff that fill the gaps and help the full-time journalists and photographers get their titles out each week.

Tindle boasts that he hasn't made any journalists redundant, even in the recession. But he leaves posts unfilled and increases the workload on those left behind so that they can't do the good job they want to do. What is Tindle's plan? Probably, ultimately, to plug the editorial gap with content provided free by "citizen journalists", sending in reports and photographs.

Tindle's newspaper group made £3 million last year. Tindle is a rich man, and his son will inherit his empire. Tindle has worked hard, but his journalists, many hundreds of them, work hard too keeping him rich and building up a nice pot for his heirs. I don't think Tindle newspaper readers should start feeding in their own labours for nothing on top of that! Let's have some pride!

This week's Barnet Press: an inferior product

If you get a copy of this week's Barnet Press and wonder why it's looking a bit ropey, the reason is that it was produced in conditions of semi-clandestinity - probably at the offices of South London Press, although not by SLP regulars.

If it looks ropey, it's because it and other titles in the North London and Herts Tindle Newspapers stable were produced by who knows, because the staff that usually produce them have been on strike since Tuesday. They believe the only way the standard of the journalism in these papers can be maintained is to increase the number of journalists producing them by the figure of... one.

That's right, they are asking for just one more journalist to be hired on the papers. But the proprietor Ray Tindle has resisted this. After a year of fruitless negotiations, the NUJ members at the papers decided to organise a strike, Tuesday-Thursday this week, Tuesday-Thursday next week.

If you think the Barnet Press looks rubbish when it isn't produced by the regular staff, and if you want to support the standard of local journalism and the call for an extra journalist, please drop a line to Sir Ray Tindle:

Sir Ray Tindle
Tindle Newspapers
The Old Court House
Union Road
Farnham
Surrey
GU9 7PT

You can visit the strikers' blog here.

Barnet Press strike is about the quality of local journalism

It was a great day for a trip to Enfield Town to join the demonstration of the NUJ members at Tindle newspapers, Barnet Press and the rest of the North London and Herts stable.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world, particularly the experience of turning the tables and questioning the reporters, such as Kim Inam, who are usually phoning me for a quotation, and asking the photographers to pose for a picture for a change.

I spoke to the Father of the Chapel, Jonathan Lovett, the papers' arts correspondent, before the demonstration.

This dispute is not about pay. There are only three reporters now churning out nine papers, it's not enough to do a good job. When I joined, these were good papers.

The veiled redundancy threat made on the eve of the strike galvanised us. It threw petrol on the fire, when we had hoped there was a chance of conciliation, an 11th hour deal.

We are not sure where the paper is being produced now. There were rumours of the South London Press. But the NUJ chapel is strong there and they have seen no sign of it. Perhaps it is being produced at "Tindle Towers", the Farnham HQ of Tindle Newspapers.

The local titles have been losing money, but the company as a whole made £3 million profit: we argue they can support us. Why have newspapers if you are just going to abandon them when they are in difficulty? The readers still need a paper. That's why we are having this protest. These newspapers are suffering death from a thousand cuts.

But we want to raise them from the dead. During today's demonstration I'll be dressed as a priest; my message is one of hope.

We are striking for three days this week and next; we wouldn't have been working on the bank holidays anyway. We've heard, though, that we are going to be docked pay for the bank holidays as well, so for six days on strike we will lose 10 days' pay. We are getting money from the NUJ hardship fund; and we have received donations.

Last night we visited Birmingham and Coventry NUJ who made a generous donation.

Our ballot was for indefinite strike so after these six days we might announce further days.

There are signs that what has been happening to us, posts going unfilled, is happening elsewhere in Tindle Newspapers. The business model Tindle is trying to impose includes relying on readers to send in the stories.

We have been in negotiations for 12 months over pay and over unfilled posts. We wanted at least a guarantee that any more journalist posts coming vacant would be filled, and we were calling for another journalist to be appointed. We thought we had agreement on that, but at the last minute that demand was rejected.

We got nowhere. We understand that everyone is under pressure, and so pay is not the issue in this dispute. This strike is about the quality of local journalism.

Visit the strike blog here. Set of pictures here.

Support the Tindle newspapers strikers!

I know not everyone likes the Barnet Press (or any of the local papers) but I think we would all agree that we are better off having a local paper than not! In fact, I think the Barnet Press have done a good job lately of covering and even investigating local issues, including Future Shape, the move to get rid of sheltered housing wardens, and now the MetPro affair.

One thing that's certain is that the fewer journalists you have gathering news, the worse the newspaper! That is what has been happening at Barnet Press, whose journalists are going on strike for two weeks from Tuesday 19 April. Let's be clear, that's a long time to be out on strike. If you want to campaign for good local newspapers I would ask you to support the strike, which is against non-filling of vacant posts.

I plan to go and visit the strikers at their office on Tuesday or Wednesday. In the meantime, I can't do better to let you know what it's all about than reprint the journalists' press release, and ask you to support them in the ways they suggest at the end.

Staff at North London & Herts Newspapers say “enough is enough” in the first strike in Tindle Newspapers’ history

From Tuesday, April 19, journalists at the north London newspaper group will go on strike over the Tindle business plan that is leaving once award-winning newspapers to dwindle and die.

Bad for staff…

The company is refusing to replace members of staff when they leave, while expecting increased output from its already overworked employees – seemingly with no viable strategy to revive the newspapers’ fortunes.

Owner Sir Ray Tindle has claimed to be the “Saviour of local newspapers” and recently said: “Despite the doom-mongers regional newspapers are alive and well...”

Not in north London – here they suffer death by a thousand cutbacks. The company says our centre has to cut costs, but last year our employer Tindle Newspapers made more than £3million profit.

• More than a third of editorial staff have left without being replaced and key positions are not being filled.

• Just three reporters are churning out nine newspapers every week.

• In the past few weeks management has slashed the Sports section by half while the future of the entire Arts & Leisure section is under threat.

Bad for the community…

As a consequence of its refusal to replace staff an inferior product is being delivered to our readers and, therefore, our advertisers:

• Reporters do not have time to leave their desks, meaning they are missing stories of vital importance.

• We are unable to cover a range of council meetings, attend community events, court cases and inquiries and report them to the public.

• This leads to a failure to uphold the newspapers’ fine tradition of holding public bodies to account and the worst kind of “churnalism”.

Showing support

• NUJ members will be outside their offices in Refuge House, 9-10 River Front, Enfield, EN1 3SZ (just across from Enfield Town railway station) from Tuesday to Thursday over the next two weeks.

• Photo opportunity: Wednesday, April 20 from noon when a mass demonstration will take place featuring The Grim Reaper and a funeral procession.

• North London & Herts Newspapers comprises: The Enfield Advertiser, The Edmonton Advertiser, The Winchmore Hill Advertiser & Herald, The Enfield Gazette, The Barnet & Potters Bar Press, The East Barnet Press & Advertiser, The Edgware & Mill Hill Press, The Hendon & Finchley Press and The Haringey Advertiser.

• For more information call FOC Jonathan Lovett on 07917 871 421 or Barry Fitzpatrick on 020 7843 3706.

• To find out more:
Search Facebook for "Gazette, Advertiser and Press on Strike"
Twitter: @StrikeGazAdPres
email: strikegazadpres@hotmail.co.uk
blog: http://strikegazadpres.wordpress.com

Against the parking fee rises - sign the petition

I'm not a motorist but I can see what Barnet council are up to with their proposals to raise parking fees: plug the gap in their finances which results from a combination of the overall cuts to public services and their own incompetence. It's not on! The Barnet Press has an interview with an angry resident, Shaun Fabian, who lives in a Controlled Parking Zone. He will be charged £100 in future instead of £40, just for parking in front of his own home:

"All the bays are already paid for, there's no maintenance and the administration doesn't cost any more so I don't think the council could justify even a one pence rise. The money is obviously going to go towards something else.

"We already pay our council tax for services, so this is like an additional tax."

The Press outlines some of the other increased charges (they like to call it "optimising revenue income"), including a trebling of allotment fees and charging businesses more for trade refuse sacks.

Most upsetting, they also plan to charge users of social services for more services (they call this "fairer charging"). (This is not in the Press article, but as an issue deserves a whole campaign in its own right.)

The other scandalous element in all this is that councillors get a park-anywhere-you-like-for-free permit.

The Barnet Bugle blogger has started a petition, "We are not cash cows", on Barnet council's official petition site: spread the word. People should sign it for the name alone!

"Austere times...?" - Barnet Press; Barnet Bugle audio and video

The Barnet Bugle has provided audio and video of news coverage of the Barnet council Cabinet and Leader allowances scandal. Thanks, Barnet Bugle (the blog is run by Daniel Hope, a former Tory councillor).

The Barnet Press, which you can pick up in your local Barnet library, has extensive coverage of the story. Its front-page headline is

Austere Times...? As councillors vote themselves a big pay rise – in the name of ‘transparency’ – we asked for council leader Lynne Hillan (whose pay is going from £34,909 to £54,227) to explain it a bit more. The answer? No comment.

The main article is here; union comment - "Unions’ disgust at pay rises as council workers face job losses" - here; the fate of Kate Salinger - "Tory councillor is punished for her stand against ‘immoral’ pay awards" - is reported here.

An editorial comment condemns the Tory councillors. The Barnet Bugle has that as well (it's not on the Barnet Press website, as far as I can see).

Sheltered housing campaigner says don't vote Tory in Barnet

David Young, the Barnet-based organiser of many of the protests against sheltered housing warden cuts, campaigned under the slogan "No wardens, no votes".

He and I and a lot of elderly sheltered housing residents and their supporters have delivered letters to the three main party leaders twice. The response has been feeble, with no one bothering to give a simple answer to a straight question: "Will you commit to take action to stop Councils removing Resident Sheltered Housing Wardens and where the Wardens service has been cut ensure it is reinstated?"

Councils around the country began to raid sheltered housing budgets once the government removed the ring fence from the Supporting People budget. The culprits include Lib Dem and Tory councils. I have not heard yet of a Labour council doing this, but I wouldn't rule it out! In any case, it was the Labour government that has made these cuts possible.

The Labour government's response to the question has come via the Department for Communities and Local Government:

The removal of the ring fence from the Supporting People grant, on 1 April 2009 supports the Government’s clear commitment to provide authorities with greater flexibility over their funding. However, we would expect local authorities to consult on and communicate any changes they were considering making to the support services in their area.

Since no party leader has committed to stopping or reversing the warden cuts, David Young has concluded:

We went to Clegg, Brown and Cameron on our walking sticks, Zimmer frames and wheelchairs, and the doors were slammed in our face. We urge all the righteous to support us by voting against the party in their area whose council has hurt us. We warned you, and we keep our promises. No wardens, no vote!

I happen to know that David Young is not a Labour supporter. (I don't know about the Lib Dems!) But he has concluded that people should not vote for the Conservatives in Barnet.

Let's be clear, only the Labour and Lib Dem groups on Barnet council are committed to defending the resident sheltered housing wardens. Barnet Tories are committed to axing them. If this issue is important to you, weigh it in the balance when you are deciding how to vote on Thursday.

The Barnet Press carries the story in more detail.

Barnet council shuts its parks for Easter

Londonist blog has picked up on Barnet council's decision to close its big parks this weekend - see here. The move is taken to prevent Iranians (and Kurds and Afghanis) from celebrating Sizdah Bedar, the 13th day of their new year.

Of course, the parks cannot be kept open for other people, because the police and council officials could hardly be expected to stop people entering "on suspicion of being Iranian".

I think Londonist strikes the correct tone:

It is true that Iranians don't have a very good grasp of the Keep Britain Tidy business, but this really is quite Scrooge-like on the part of Barnet.

The Iranian community has tried to negotiate with the council and police to facilitate this festival but the council just appears not to have the patience to find a way through. Much simpler just to piss on everyone's parade.

The Barnet Press reports the decision as well - see here. They get it slightly wrong, though, in that most of those wanting to picnic this weekend are no longer Iranian but British nationals.