Union members are returning to their desks after three days of strike action, which began last Friday with a rally addressed by Members of the Scottish Parliament and NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear.

The latest round of industrial action followed a week of strong political backing, with resolutions supporting the strikers from the spring conference of the governing Scottish National Party, the Scottish TUC and two debates at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. A large majority of MSPs backed the call for urgent talks between management and union reps before any compulsory redundancies are enforced at the Glasgow papers.

Labour MSP Michael McMahon, who attended the rally, said: “In the past, politicians and government have often attempted to duck these issues, to say ‘this is a matter for unions and management’. But the Scottish Parliament has now said ‘this is more than that; this is about iconic titles for the Scottish people’.”

“There’s huge support within the [SNP] parliamentary group,” says Nationalist MSP Christina McKelvie, who also addressed strikers outside the papers’ Glasgow building. “Because if a company like this – which is making £400,000 a day – gets away with this now, then it pushes the door open for other companies to do the same and that’s worrying during a recession when we really need to keep people in jobs.”

NUJ members at the papers have now held a total of seven days of strike action to resist plans to impose 24 compulsory redundancies.  A further industrial action ballot is under way over the introduction of a new technology system and drastic changes to hours and other conditions of working in proposals to merge the two titles.

The NUJ is also preparing a series of possible legal challenges to the selection process and lack of notice and consultation over the redundancy process.

• Donations for the Record and Mail NUJ chapel should be made payable to the ‘Alan Hutcheson Fund’ and sent to NUJ Scotland, Third Floor, 114, Union Street, Glasgow, G1 3QQ.
• Messages of support should be emailed to alicem@nuj.org.uk or texted to the picket line on 07836 542699.

The action in Glasgow is part of a unionwide campaign against media cuts.

27 April 2009