[NUJ Bristol] Northcliffe accused of anti-union practices

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Northcliffe accused of anti-union practices=20
http://media.guardian.co.uk/presspublishing/story/0,7495,932493,00.html

Sarah Hall
Wednesday April 9, 2003=20

Northcliffe Newspapers, the Daily Mail & General Trust's regional division,
has received a stiff rap over the knuckles after a group of MPs tabled an
early day motion signalling their anxiety over alleged intimidatory tactics
shown to trade union members.
The motion was formulated by Parmjit Dhanda, Labour MP for Gloucester, and
signed by a dozen MPs, including the former foreign office minister, Tony
Lloyd.

It urges "Northcliffe Newspapers to [recognise the National Union of
Journalists] and refrain from anti-trade union practices" and reminds the
company "of the legal right for a trade union to be recognised if more than
half the workforce support it".

It also notes it "abhors anti-trade union practices and intimidation
propogated by the management".

The motion is means by which MPs can record their opinion on a subject and
canvass support for it from fellow members.

It comes after Mr Dhanda was approached by members of the Graphical, Paper
and Media Union complaining of bullying tactics used towards union members
at his local paper, the Gloucester Citizen.

"People were told they were unlikely to become supervisors or managers if
they were in the union; people were picked out for one to one chats, which
they found intimidating, and discouraged from belonging to a union; and
were told that sites where union membership was recognised were
consequently closed," Mr Dhanda said at a press conference in Westminster.

Jeremy Dear, the general secretary of the NUJ, said five union
representatives had been sacked or made redundant while seeking recognition
of their unions on papers owned by Northcliffe.

He accused the company of an "orchestrated campaign to undermine the right
to union recognition and union membership".=20

The 1999 Employment Act permits automatic recognition of a union if a
majority of staff are members. But Northcliffe stands accused of delaying
such recognition and then preventing it by persuading new staff not to join
and ousting union members.

One thousand recognition agreements have been reached since the law came
into force and the Department of Trade and Industry insists the act is
working well.=20

However, MPs believe there is room for fine tuning and the EDM will add to
pressure to bring this about.

Ken Thompson, the group personnel and resources director at Northcliffe,
was unavailable for comment but in a statement insisted the group - which
comprises 106 newspapers - recognised four trade unions, including the NUJ
and GPMU.=20

He added: "The group complies implicity with the law and with decisions of
the central arbitration committee who oversee this element of leglislation.=
=20

"The company is surprised and disappointed that the MPs concerned have not
sought its point of view on this matter."

 Related articles=20
16.12.2002: Northcliffe appeals against OFT fine
17.09.2002: OFT fines Northcliffe Newspapers =A31.3m





http://media.guardian.co.uk/presspublishing/story/0,7495,932493,00.html


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