Deadlock and Frustration

Your chapel officers met the YP and YEP editors and MD Chris Green today – but left the meeting deadlocked after minimal progress.

The face-to-face was mainly amicable, as nearly all have been so far, but Chris, yet again, appeared completely unwilling to budge on his refusal to increase the redundancy terms.

The debate circled around and around, covering much old ground, for several minutes, officers making the point that management had yet to make many constructive offers for finding volunteers for redundancy, while rejecting ideas from the chapels, such as the Golden Day proposal. For those unfamiliar with the Golden Day, that idea was for YP/YEP NUJ members to donate a day’s salary to the company, it being so skint, in order for it to pay three weeks redundancy. Helpful lot aren’t we?

Deadlocked, officers agreed to hold an impromptu committee meeting away from the MD’s office, and conjured up a new set of proposals which will be put to Chris at High Noon tomorrow.

Meanwhile, as the communication lines remain open, preparation for Thursday’s four-day strike continue apace. The feeling in the newsroom was one of determination, colleagues acting as though they fully expect to be out again and coming up with some great ideas for the picket. One colleague even bemoaned the fact we were back today, saying he wished we had stopped out there, so good was the atmosphere and camaraderie.

More news will follow tomorrow. Sorry for the late posts and the lack of a pic from the walk-back. The Hud took one, but I was so busy I forgot to add it. It will follow in the morning.

In Solidarity, Ricardo.