Campaigns
Challenging the cutbacks
Cutbacks Crisis logo
Media companies across the UK and Ireland are making massive cutbacks as they strive to keep up unrealistic levels of profit.
Members of the National Union of Journalists are fighting these short-term measures with negotiations, industrial action, political lobbying, and community campaigns.
Latest activity:
- Trinity Mirror talks avert Birmingham strike
- Red Bee Media members consider plan of action
- NUJ to buy access to media company meetings
- NUJ conference vows to stand up for journalism
- Vote for action over newspaper cuts in Wales
- Support for Irish radio journalists
- European backing for Scottish book workers
Read the NUJ's Ecomomic Stimulus Plan for the UK local media.
Taking the message to industry events:
More than 130 UK MPs have supported our campaign:
Advice for women facing redunancy while pregnant or on maternity leave.
Around 150 NUJ activists attended a jobs summit in London to co-ordinate the union's activity.
Following a suggestion at the summit the NUJ launched a Whistleblower hotline - to collect examples of how cutbacks are damaging the quality of journalism.
Collective action and campaigning is most successful where the density of union membership is high. If your colleagues are not NUJ members please ask them to join. If you are not a member please join now.
We have a whole range of campaign materials - stickers, pens, leaflets, fact sheets, posters.
The fight aganist the cuts is part of our ongoing campaign to demonstrate that Journalism Matters.
Regional press hit hard
Regional and Scottish national press companies have axed thousands of posts, closed newspapers and websites, and shut district offices.
Cutbacks hitting all sectors
All sectors of the media are feeling the impact of cutbacks. Countless NUJ members in national newspapers and magazines are facing restructuring exercises, which employers hope will mean fewer people doing more work. Meanwhile ITV is looking to withdraw from its commitments to local news and budget cuts across the industry mean that freelance and casual work is also being lost. Watch an interview with Newsnight economics editor and NUJ rep Paul Mason on why the industry is being hit so hard.
There’s still money in media
Whilst employers are pointing to downward trends in advertising revenues, most of the big media companies still expect to be in profit. However, media owners are more interested in propping up unsustainably high profit margins than in maintaining a business that will succeed in the long-term. For examples, read our briefing about profits at three of the biggest regional press companies.
At risk of redundancy?
If you’re concerned about your job, the TUC has produced a redundancy guide that may answer your questions. You can also get advice from your NUJ rep or official. However, the best way to respond to these changes is by working together with your NUJ colleagues. You can read about how the NUJ is challenging cutbacks on our news pages.
In many cases the impact of these cuts could lead to significant health and safety risks for our members. In many places the union has been using stress surveys to show employers that people are already under potentially dangerous levels of stress.
Take action now
Here are some of the things you can do to help the union camapign for quality journalism:
- If you’re not already a member join today. The stronger we are, the more effective we can be in standing up for quality journalism.
- Find out what happened at the NUJ Jobs Summit in London on 24 January 2009.
- Offer to help organise some campaigning activities where you work or in your local area. Email standup@nuj.org.uk to get involved.
- Join the discussion on the future of the media by adding your comments here.
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