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Huxley Scientific Press

Huxley Scientific Press is a small specialist publisher set up by Sophie Huxley and Eddie Mizzi following the success of The Oxford Science Walk More...

Freelances who are you?

More and more of our members working in the publishing sector are working freelance. More...

If publishers can’t guarantee quality, what are they for?

For more than two years now this branch has been sounding the alarm about what is happening to editorial standards in academic and educational publishing – a sector that employs around half of our members. More...

Regional Press Awards ‘saved’ by the NUJ

The Regional Press Awards are to be hosted by the NUJ as part of the union’s Stand Up for Journalism initiative. More...

Going beyond the press releases

New BBC Oxford post will focus on local government More...

We’re standing up for journalism in north Oxfordshire

The May branch meeting will be held in Banbury, in the Globe room at Ye Olde Reindeer Inn, 6.30pm -- a room reputedly used by Cromwell to try some of ye olde royalists More...

More jobs leave Oxford

Wiley/Blackwell have announced yet another round of job losses More...

That’ll do nicely, say publishing bosses

As the trading results for last year begin to come through, many publishers are finding that, far from suffering a hit, their companies came through the credit crunch in fine shape. More...

Time to be flexible

Congratulations to the chapel at Taylor & Francis/Informa, which has finally secured a concession on flexible working hours. More...

JAMMIN’ AT THE OXFORD MAIL

The Oxford Mail chapel is set to strengthen its base among reporters following a social at the Jam Factory at the end of March. More...

Think it’s time for a change?

Then get recruiting, start organising and go for it! More...

Trades Council pre-election newspaper

The branch has agreed to contribute to a one-off newspaper to be produced by the Oxford and District TUC in the run up to the May elections More...

NUJ issues rallying cry

Jeremy Dear, the NUJ general secretary, has pledged to rally other trades unionists and licence fee payers to oppose cuts and defend jobs More...

Out to lunch with the Macmillan chapel

The joint NUJ/Unite chapel at Macmillan held a Work Your Proper Hours lunch on 26th February. More...

Is Oxford’s publishing heritage being quietly shipped overseas?

It seems to have started around 30 years ago with particularly tricky – scientific or mathematical – typesetting jobs being outsourced to specialist centres, mainly in India. It then moved on to typesetting in general, and then, with the age of interactive digital publishing, where the editorial/design function and the techie processes get intertwined, some of the key creative processes in publishing began to take place overseas. More...

We welcome Scholastic!

This January the Oxford branch welcomed a new addition to our group of book chapels More...

It’s payback time

This time last year almost all our chapels were being asked to accept a freeze on their pay or a rise that was well below inflation. Given the highly uncertain trading conditions, argued management, financial caution was the only responsible approach – to safeguard the long-term interests of the company, staff would have to take the pain. But things are a lot clearer now, and thanks in no small part to the cooperation of our members, all the companies where we are recognised locally have come through the past year much better than many were fearing. Will this be recognised in this year’s round of pay settlements? More...

IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS IN 2010

The NUJ offers high-quality training in a variety of professional skills available to members at half the normal price. More...

Your New Year’s Resolution -- Just do it!

Happy New Year to all our members. More...

Our Indian colleagues, and open access publishing

It started with jobs like highly technical maths typesetting, and continued with IT heavy digital work. But increasingly the core functions of editing, not just for scientific, technical and medical publications, but also educational books are being contracted out to centres in India and other countries where graduates earn a fraction of what is considered a living wage in Europe. More...

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Threatening and isolating, or a chance for community solidarity? Local media can make a big difference to our shared experience. The January snows have demonstrated yet again the essential role quality local news services play in the community. More...

Local news gatherers meet to explore common ground

Reporters from a variety of local news outlets met for the first time at the end of November to talk about their work. More...

ADM Report

Kate Griffin, our very own multimedia first-time delegate, tweeted her way through ADM, wrote a blog entry on the experience and reports below for our good old-fashioned printed branch newsletter More...

Come raise a glass to a new generation of NUJ activists

The December meeting comes a week later than normal because your branch had a very busy end of November, engaging in debates at the union’s Annual Delegate Meeting in Southport on how to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing media industry and building a collective voice back here in Oxford among the region’s local news journalists. We’d like to take the opportunity at the December branch meeting to salute the new generation of activists that is coming forward locally and nationally to meet these challenge, and invite all our members -- particularly new members -- to come to the meeting and raise a glass to them and to our future. More...

BRANCH AGM Help us make a difference in 2010

Last month’s meeting saw the largest turnout of members we have seen for a long time. More...

A window of opportunity to improve local news services?

The crisis in local news provision has prompted a national debate about the best way to secure quality local news services. The broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has been drawn into this debate, publishing a report on September 22nd that delineated the main options. The branch is now calling together journalists from all our newsrooms to see whether some of the options under discussion could help us improve the service we provide to the local community. More...

Business journalist position vacant

Applications are being sought for the position of business journalist at Amey More...

Affordable, unmissable: training courses for freelances

Freelances have the chance to hone their skills at four customised one-day courses More...

Just go for it! Maybe you too could get a £3000 a year pay rise

Unfair pay discrepancies between people doing similar work is something most of us have come across at one time or another. More...

Would you like to represent the branch at the NUJ Annual Delegat

ADM this November will be the first time delegates from all over the UK, Ireland and our continental branches will have a chance to get together More...

It's relocate or face redundancy as Scholastic moves to Witney

Around thirty NUJ members working for Scholastic, a major educational book and magazine publisher, have until September 4th to make a difficult choice. More...

A champagne moment at Capstone Publishers

Members at Capstone Global Library in north Oxford had cause to celebrate after a company climbdown on jobs, following backup from NUJ colleagues. More...

Pearson schools/Unite

This ADM congratulates the chapel at Pearson Schools More...

It’s all happening at the NUJ’s Annual Delegate Meeting

Southport, 19-22 November 2009 More...

It’s back to the negotiating table at Macmillan

Macmillan UK have given assurances to the joint NUJ/Unite chapel at Macmillan Education, Oxford, that future pay settlements will be decided by negotiation, as per the house agreement. More...

Hundreds of payouts claimed over Newsquest procedures

The NUJ is to seek compensation which could total two million pounds for journalists who were forced to re-apply for their own jobs at the Glasgow Herald group. More...

Should the branch advertise job vacancies?

Following concerns raised by a member over the advertising of a vacancy, the May branch meeting took a discussion about how to respond to similar requests in the future. More...

Want to help make or change NUJ policy?July 1st is your deadline

The NUJ national annual delegate meeting 2009 is scheduled for Southport, 19-22 November. More...

NUJ/Unite challenge failure to negotiate at Macmillan

A joint NUJ/Unite chapel meeting at Macmillan Education in Cowley will decide what action to take over the company’s failure to negotiate over their pay claim. More...

Quality campaign: should we put our money where our mouth is?

Last September, the branch tapped into a strong mood among editorial staff in educational and academic publishing when it called a meeting in the Town Hall to discuss what is happening to the quality of the work we publish. More...

We call for local news forum, as further cuts are threatened

The Oxford branch is inviting staff from all Oxfordshire’s news services to form a united front in defence of local news. The call comes in response to new threats that could exacerbate the damage already done by the loss of ITV’s Thames Valley news and the job losses at the Banbury Guardian and the Oxford Mail and Times. Peter Cann reports. More...

Another nail in the coffin of Oxford’s media?

April saw the end of Oxford’s first local news channel, Six TV, which started life as the Oxford Channel almost 10 years ago. More...

Looking for a job?

More...

Freelancing in credit crunch Oxford

What’s your story? More...

WHO WE LOBBIED, WHAT THEY SAID

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Redundancy pay under threat at the Mail and Times

The Oxford Mail & Times chapel is protesting at a change in the redundancy terms to be offered if there are future job losses. More...

Solidarity sees off compulsory redundancies at the BBC

BBC-wide strike action set for April 2nd and April 9th was called off as the NUJ reached a last minute agreement. More...

We decide who represents us!

Pearson staff speak with one voice More...

Joint chapel calls for more concessions as Macmillan offers 1%

The NUJ/Unite chapel at Macmillan Education in Cowley is calling for negotiations over the discretionary payments. More...

We put local news on the national agenda

Seven delegates from the Oxford branch attended an NUJ parliamentary lobby on Wednesday March 25th, to call for urgent action to save local newspapers. The lobby was called in response to a crisis in the provincial press that could threaten its very existence and aimed to put protection of local news-gathering capacity at the top of the agenda. More...

Life as a working woman in Palestine

Public meeting, Sunday March 8th, Oxford Town Hall, 2.30-4.00pm More...

Fighting with words against inequality, poverty and war

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Oxford Mail staff asked to cut hours

Staff at the Oxford Mail and Times are being asked to accept what amounts to a voluntary pay cut More...

Join the growing call to PUT PEOPLE FIRST

On 28th March thousands will march through London as part of a global campaign to challenge the G20 More...

TAKE THE STRESS TEST

The range of factors that can cause work-related stress include overwork, bullying, low job control, job insecurity and poor work organisation. More...

Overworked? Stressed? You’re not alone

Britain is in a recession and the stress levels at work are rising. Anecdotal evidence indicates that here in Oxford the number of NUJ members who are having to take time off work or take early retirement on the grounds of stress is increasing. And we are only at the beginning of what looks to be a difficult period that could last several years. The branch would like to issue a red alert – health and livelihoods can be ruined if stress is allowed to get out of hand. Don’t let it happen to you, and don’t let it happen to your colleagues. More...

Recognition in sight at Pearson

It’s been a frustrating time at Pearson Education, Oxford, working with recognised chapels elsewhere in the company to address the problems like the pay freeze, but unable to negotiate directly themselves. More...

Oxford’s books workers hit with pre-emptive pay crunch

At the height of the panic over the global financial meltdown last December, staff at two Oxford publishers were told they would be subject to a pay freeze on account of ‘uncertainty’ over the state of the market in the coming year. More...

So what has happened to our local newspaper?

Didcot councillors say residents expect better More...

Blow the whistle

The NUJ is calling on journalists to blow the whistle on their employer – to expose the damage being done to journalism through cutbacks across the media. More...

“Let us demand the kind of press that we deserve”

The Lord Mayor of Oxford speaks out as the jobs and titles cull continues across provincial newspapers More...

Campaigning in Oxford

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Quality meeting covered on Bookseller.com

A report of the Oxford meeting on quality in academic and educational publishing was published on Bookseller.com on 27 November 2008. More...

PEARSON EDUCATION: Staff win right to ballot on recognition

Editorial, design and research staff at Pearson Education have won the right to hold a ballot to decide whether their pay and conditions should be agreed through collective negotiations. More...

Can the NUJ protect jobs and pay in the current climate

Yes we can! More...

NUJ to ballot for strike action at ITV Regional News

NUJ members across ITV regional news are to be balloted on strike action after the company refused to enter formal conciliation over massive cuts to local and regional news staff. More...

Equal pay – just go for it

Many women NUJ members stand to lose tens of thousands of pounds because they don’t use the laws that are there to protect them. More...

Public meeting on the state of our news

Nick Davies, the award-winning Guardian journalist and author of Flat Earth News, has agreed to speak at an NUJ public meeting in Oxford early next year... More...

Pearson: nine out of ten prefer the NUJ

The Pearson chapel is waiting to hear back from the Central Arbitration Committee on its application for union recognition at Pearson Education (Oxford). More...

Can we entice you to come to branch meetings?

The November branch meeting will take place at the earlier time of 6.30 – 8.30pm, with sandwiches provided. The move is part of an initiative to attract more people and widen the base of active branch members. More...

Stressed out at Newsquest??

The Oxford Mail chapel is to take part in a national stress survey. More...

ITV to cut local news staff by 40%

ITV has announced that it intends to cut 40 per cent of its regional news staff. More...

We’re going for gold at Pearson Education

With a formal application for recognition submitted to the Central Arbitration Committee... More...

October 9th is the branch AGM. Be there

The branch AGM is the one meeting in the year where we take stock of what we have achieved and set out goals for the coming year. More...

Who wants to stand up for quality? We all do!

Falling standards and a loss of control matter deeply to publishing workers, judging by the number of them who turned out to discuss this issue at the Town Hall two weeks ago. More...

Branch argues for a campaigning union

The Oxford branch has responded to a consultation over the structure of the union with a call to focus on promoting action rather than messing with structures. More...

We say thank you to branch member John Fray

The branch summer social on the last Friday in August gave us the chance to say thank you to branch member John Fray for his long service to the NUJ More...

Chapels set to take groupwide action in defence of standards at

NUJ reps from across Johnston Press’s main publishing centres have unanimously backed a motion of no confidence in the company’s senior management – and urged shareholders and readers to act to save their local papers. More...

DECISION TIME AT PEARSON

Pearson is very happy to work with unions and has a long tradition of working with both the NUJ and Unite (Amicus) More...

We’re standing up for publishing

Oxford to host national summit More...

Michelle tops the poll for Deputy General Secretary

The outcome of the ballot for the union’s next Deputy General Secretary was announced as this newsletter went to press. More...

OXFORD SHOWS ITS SUPPORT FOR YORK NEWSQUEST STRIKERS

Donations of £450 were sent by branch members in support of the courageous stand by members of the Newsquest York chapel who have been striking over pay. More...

Redundancies at Central Counties Newspapers spark workload fears

Staff at Johnston Press Central Counties Newspapers’ titles, including the Banbury Guardian are having to absorb the extra work created by a devastating round of redundancies that has affected reporters and photographers at every site. More...

Pearson shows it can listen

Following the marked improvement in engagement between management and the joint chapel at Macmillan, staff at another of Oxford’s major educational publishing houses are welcoming what they perceive to be a new willingness to consult. More...

Macmillan chapel demands the gen on pay and maternity stats

The joint NUJ/Unite chapel at Macmillan is stepping up a gear in its bid to get the company to disclose information it needs to be able to negotiate effectively. More...

Richard Greenfield

The branch was sad to hear of the death of Richard Greenfield, one of our more illustrious members who introduced order into our accounts when he did a two-year stint as treasurer almost a decade ago. More...

T&F settle for 4.2%

Taylor and Francis Books and Journals chapels in Didcot finally reached agreement over this year’s claim after protracted negotiations. More...

Broadcast news hangs in the balance

A public consultation by the broadcasting regulatory body Ofcom into the future of public service broadcasting is set to close on Friday June 19th. More...

Don’t forget to vote!

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Not so much losing a deputy general secretary...

The Oxford branch wishes John Fray well in his retirement More...

Changes at ITV pre-empt Ofcom decision on local news cut backs

The Thames Valley chapel is still in the dark as to ITV's final plans for the shake-up of regional news. More...

Salary scales on the agenda at Macmillan

Unfair discrepancies between salaries and the secrecy shrouding information on what salary goes with which posts have probably been the single biggest concern of the joint NUJ/Unite chapel at Macmillan since it was founded six years ago. More...

Local news jobs to be outsourced to India

Outsourcing has reared its ugly head in Oxford with plans by Newsquest, owners of the Oxford Mail and Times, to have the setting of its display advertising made up by a firm based in India. More...

"I agree to indemnify the company..."

We all make mistakes, but is it right to ask individuals to indemnify global media corporations -- and will individual insurance policies cover it? More...

PENSION PLANS: the good the bad and the ugly

The dangerously neglected issue of company pension schemes hit the branch agenda in January after our very own TUC Pension Champion reported on a course he had attended in London More...

Standing up for educational publishing

Oxford has become the undisputed centre for academic and educational publishing in this country, and we have a responsiblity to defend the quality of jobs in publishing as well as the quality of the publications in a rapidly changing environment. More...

50 Macmillan staff take an hour off for lunch in a stand against

It was bonanza time for the Cricketers Arms in Temple Cowley on February 22nd – designated Work Your Proper Hours Day – when 50 Macmillan employees trooped in to take a full hour’s lunch break. More...

News round

4% at Macmillan More...

(Almost) everything you need to know about pensions but don’t be

It was good to see some new faces at the January branch meeting to hear Mike Taylor, our very own Pensions Champion, explain the basics of what members need to know about pensions. Here’s a crib Mike kindly wrote for those who missed it. More...

Dear Jeremy, Will our demoralising working conditions ever impro

The following letter, written to Jeremy Bullmore, agony uncle at Guardian Work (published Jan 5), paints a picture of life in book publishing today that many of our members will recognise. It emanates from an Oxford-based publishing house. More...

We’re standing up for book publishing

Last November the NUJ led a Europe-wide day of action to stand up for quality news journalism More...

Practice Nurse may move to Elsevier Science site in Kidlington

The NUJ chapel at Reed Business Information in Sutton, are questioning plans to close three medical weeklies, and move a fourth, Practice Nurse to the Elsevier Science site in Kidlington. More...

NUJ calls for YES vote in BBC strike ballot

The NUJ is balloting for strike action at the BBC over a variety of cost cutting measures. More...

Pay 66% more or lose your final salary pension

The choice facing staff at the Oxford Mail and Times More...

A New Year's resolution that could change your future...

“I resolve to find out about the company pension scheme and defend my future earnings” More...

A hard act to follow...

The branch seeks a new delegate to the Trades Council More...

NUJ multimedia commission presents its findings

Risk assessment, and health and safety in general, is one of many issues that face journalists being asked to work in a multi-media environment. More...

Risk assessment finally arrives at the Oxford Mail and Times

Newsquest, publishers of the Oxford Mail and Times, have finally started to address some of the concerns the chapel has been raising over the health and safety implications of working with new media. More...

Compulsory redundancies trigger strike ballot at the BBC

BBC unions are balloting for strike action after BBC Vision announced it will begin selecting people for compulsory redundancy, despite the fact that more than 300 staff have expressed an interest in voluntary release. More...

Meanwhile, at the gates of the Oxford Mail and Times...

Denied the chance to receive civic recognition for their efforts, chapel members at the Oxford Mail and Times paid their own tribute to the importance of local journalism. More...

Oxford’s Mayor thanks local journalists for ‘excellent coverage’

The Lord Mayor of Oxford, councillor John Tanner, honoured local journalists on Stand Up for Journalism Day, November 5th, by presenting commendations to the local news media for the excellent coverage they provided during the summer floods. More...

Draft resolutions for the NUJ Annual Delegate Meeting 2008

The following resolutions were submitted for consideration by the branch to send to the NUJ Annual Delegate Meeting in Belfast, next April
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Two small victories and a job well done

The BBC backed down from plans to issue redundancy notices in the face of a unanimous vote by reps from the joint unions – NUJ, BECTU and Unite – to ballot for strike action. More...

We're standing up for journalism in Oxfordshire

The three news chapels in the Oxford NUJ branch have got together to produce a poster More...

We’re all standing up for journalism on Monday November 5th

On November 5th journalists across Europe will call on politicians, regulators and the public to stand up for quality journalism and oppose the relentless concentration of ownership, profiteering, and staff cuts that are undermining standards in broadcast, printed and online news. More...

THE NEXT MEETING IS THURSDAY 11 OCTOBER

Come to the Annual General Meeting of your branch More...

JOIN US ON THE BRANCH COMMITTEE

The October meeting is the branch Annual General Meeting, where we OK the year’s accounts, set priorities for 2007/2008 and elect branch officers. More...

NUJ applies for recognition at Harcourt

The NUJ has made a formal request for recognition at Harcourt Education. The union is seeking the right to represent all NUJ eligible posts, including editorial, design and picture research/digital asset management. More...

NUJ calls on public, politicians, Ofcom to resist itv cuts

ITV is seeking to cut its regional news budget from £85 mn to £35–£40 mn and replace the existing 17 news regions with 9 mega regions. More...

FOUR WAYS YOU CAN STAND UP FOR LOCAL TV NEWS

The union is calling on all members to add their voice to the campaign to save itv local news. Here we list four ways in which you can make your views known. More...

Macmillan shines a light on working hours

Unions and management at Macmillan are carrying out a survey of working hours across the company More...

Do you want to complain to the Press Complaints Commission?

The Press Complaints Commission are coming to town for a public event More...

ADM resolution deadline!

The November meeting will vote on resolutions More...

The First Casualty: war, truth and the media today

A half-day conference organised by Media Workers Against the War More...

The Glasgow Herald chapel is standing up for journalism

NUJ members at the Glasgow Herald, part of Newsquest, which also owns the Oxford Mail and Times, had to take action this summer when the company threatened six redundancies while imposing a new production system. More...

Oxford Mail and Times chapel puts in for 7.2%

The Oxford Mail and Times chapel have submitted a pay claim of 7.2% for the coming year More...

Dialogue opens at Macmillan Oxford as Macmillan Publishers Ltd i

Failure to comply with their statutory duty to set up an elected Information and Consultation Committee has landed Macmillan Publishers with a fine of £55,000. More...

NUJ launches campaign to defend quality journalism

November 5th has been designated STAND UP FOR JOURNALISM DAY by the NUJ More...

The future of broad-casting: is it safe in their hands?

BBC Director General Mark Thompson and the chairman of Channel 5, Luke Johnson, will be talking about the future of broadcasting in a panel discussion More...

We’re standing up for journalism

The traumatic experience of the July floods highlighted, among many other things, the vital role played by an effective and reliable local press More...

A fresh start at Macmillan?

The Macmillan joint Amicus/NUJ chapel are cautiously optimistic More...

Summer social

The Oxford and District NUJ branch is inviting all its members More...

As chapel votes for action...

Now there’s talk of 24/7 working at the Mail More...

Chapel to ballot on boycott of digital media

The Oxford Mail and Times chapel is balloting its members over a boycott of new digital media work. A 'yes' vote will pave the way for members to cease working material for the papers' website www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk. More...

Remember, remember the 5th of November

The NUJ has designated November 5th as Stand up for Journalism day. More...

Pearson set to purchase Harcourt

Talks on union recognition continue More...

Local activist to lead International Federation of Journalists

An Oxford-based journalist, who led a three-year battle for union rights at Robert Maxwell's Pergamon Press in 1989-1992, has been elected President of the International Federation of Journalists. More...

Know your rights

How many reps know the law on representation at disciplinary hearings and grievances? More...

A cunning plan

Sue Harris, the national organiser for the Book and Magazine sector More...

We still won't go digital by diktat!

The Oxford Mail chapel has given editors an ultimatum: More...

EDUCATE! AGITATE! INTEGRATE!

The NUJ shapes up for digital convergence More...

Don't miss this fab training opportunity

Following the enthusiastic response to the first training session, More...

We're getting in training

Eight chapel members from Harcourt Education and Macmillan attended a customised training session in Oxford at the end of April to learn how to get the best out of the growing collective strength of their chapels. More...

A confident mood

NUJ membership at Macmillan has more than tripled over the past few months. More...

Macmillan END THIS SALARY ANARCHY

Demands for a transparent pay structure at Macmillan recently received a boost More...

We wont go digital by diktat!

Pressure is growing within the Oxford Mail chapel More...

Valuing Our People?We do, and we hope Harcourt does too

The NUJ and Amicus are requesting the right to collectively represent staff at Harcourt Education. More...

For sale signs go up at Harcourt Education

Harcourt Education has been put up for sale by Reed Elsevier. In a public announcement issued on February 15th, the company described the move as “driven by strategic considerations” related to capitalising on digital opportunities in the Science and Medical, Legal, and Business markets. More...

THE PEOPLE'S VERDICT

Should the NUJ branch commission a short video showing how the local community views the importance of the local media, what it does well, and what it could do better? More...

Macmillan staff rediscover the joys of a proper lunch break

On February 23rd around 40 members of staff at Macmillan publishers, on Between Towns Road, Cowley, took a stand against Britain's overtime culture. More...

Battles continue at the BBC

The battle to defend jobs and save top quality public service broadcasting continues to rumble in the face of a heavy programme for cuts at the BBC. More...

Oxford’s Books chapels are doin’ the biz

It's been a busy couple of months for our books chapels. More...

THE HARDCOURT CHAPEL IS ROWING FOR RECOGNITION

To seek recognition, the NUJ needs to have 10% membership among the group of staff it seeks to represent. More...

Reporting under Occupation

Public meeting draws the crowds. More...

WHO WILL ASK THE QUESTIONS WHEN WE’RE GONE?

Branch to prioritise the Journalism Matters campaign

Fighting for investment in local news services under the banner of the Journalism Matters campaign should be a priority for the Oxford NUJ branch in the coming year. This was the view of a well-attended and lively annual general meeting of the branch, held last month. More...

Derek Holmes on the Future of Local News

Derek Holmes, editor of the Oxford Times and other weekly titles, outlined his views on the future of the local press at a meeting organised as part of the Woodstock Celebrates Books festival. More...

Would you represent the Oxford branch at the NUJ’s centenary ADM

The following ADM resolutions have been received and will be considered by the November branch meeting for sending to the NUJ Annual Delegate Meeting 2007. Amendments may be tabled at the meeting.
This meeting will also elect three delegates to represent the branch at ADM. 2007 is the centenary of the NUJ, so it will be a special ADM. The focus will probably be on Journalism Matters and on the implications of the ‘integration’ of paper and electronic news formats. At least one delegate from a news chapel would therefore be welcome.
Book activists are at the heart of our branch, so it would be good to send someone from that sector as well. ADM takes place April 12–15th, in Birmingham – birthplace of the NUJ. More...

Recruitment =better pay and conditions

June 19–24 is Recruitment Week. NUJ chapels throughout the union will be launching initiatives to increase their numbers More...

Updates: ITV and BBC

The biggest campaign for more than two decades continues at ITV. NUJ members at ITV, including Central News South in Abingdon, are in dispute over the unions claims for an enhanced responsibility agreement. More...

Updates: ITV and BBC

The biggest campaign for more than two decades continues at ITV. NUJ members at ITV, including Central News South in Abingdon, are in dispute over the unions claims for an enhanced responsibility agreement. More...

NUJ – a 21st century union

“Twenty years on from Wapping, one of the most vicious assaults on our movement in its history, the NUJ is once more a force to be reckoned with. Since the new laws took effect, no other union has secured as many recognition deals. More...

Talks with ITV remain “finely balanced”

Following talks with ITV and the arbitration service ACAS in April and early May, NUJ national broadcasting organiser Paul McLaughlin says the dispute in ITV regional newsrooms protesting journalists’ increased responsibilities following the introduction of new desktop editing technology still remains “finely balanced.” Details of negotiations remain confidential, he told the Press Gazette. More...

Strike ballot over BBC pensions on hold

Strike action at the BBC over controversial changes to its pension fund have temporarily been averted, after corporation executives agreed on May 10 to meet the NUJ and other unions to discuss the dispute. More...

Dates for your Diary

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Get Involved...

Public relations and Information Council More...

June 19-26 is Recrutiment Week

NUJ membership passed the 40,000 mark this year for the first time in the union’s history. Recruitment week is a chance to build on this achievement and strengthen chapel membership. More...

Black Members’ Council Elects Two New Oxford Branch members

The NUJ Black Members Council elected two new members from the Oxford Branch at its 2006 AGM. Shaista Aziz has worked for Oxfam for nearly three years and has previously worked on Oxfam's emergency response in Aceh, Indonesia, following the tsunami. Before joining Oxfam, she worked for Al-Jazeera’s English news website in Doha, Qatar. She has worked for the BBC and written for New Internationalist magazine. The other new BMC members is Manuela Da Costa-Fernandes. More...

JOURNALISM DOES MATTER

Report on the NUJ conference by a skint and disillusioned Ruth Keeling More...

Easter strike suspended at ITV’s Central News South

Six days before the chapel at ITV’s Central South were set to take part in a national ITV strike over imposed changes to their job descriptions, the NUJ has been called into talks with ACAS. More...

Dates for your Diary

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Get Involved...

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Do you want to fight for equality?

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Oxford M/FoCs call on publishers to invest in their staff

A summit of M/FoCs from Oxfords 4000-strong book and journal publishing workforce agreed last month to draw up a publishing workers’ charter that recognises the value of their work and the importance of investing in staff. More...

End the Salary Secrecy!

The Equal Pay Act says that women should be paid the same as men for doing the same work. But it is a safe bet that in most of our workplaces in Oxford there will be some women who are being paid less than male colleagues doing a similar job. More...

Frances O’Grady at the Real Oxford Union

As part of the Oxford International Women’s Festival Week, TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady will address major issues facing trade unionists, in the first Real Oxford Union Annual Address at 7 p.m. March 13 at Oxford Town Hall. More...

State of the Union 2006: a profile of your NUJ branch

The Oxford and District NUJ branch has 11 chapels spread across all sectors of the union. More...

Step up a gear in the New Year

For the past five years the Oxford branch has been growing steadily. More...

Who's next for the chop at Reed Elsevier?

There's a big round of redundancies coming up at Reed Elsevier's Holborn-based scientific journals. More...

We’re back at Central News South!

Following years of inactivity and dwindling membership at the Central News South studios in Abingdon, the NUJ has regrouped. More...

Strategies for raising pay

Around 70 NUJ members from every region and sector of the union gathered at Headland house, the NUJ’s headquarters, three weeks ago to thrash out strategies for raising pay across the board in 2006. More...

Lost for words?

Do you feel you are unable to stand up for yourself at work when you are asked to take on more than you have time for.... More...

A good year for the branch

We’ve shown what we can do in the community and the BBC... Let’s make 2006 the year we end poverty pay for our members at the Mail More...

Motions to the NUJ Annual Conference

The following motions have been submitted for the branch to consider sending to the NUJ Annual Delegate Meeting 2006 More...

Staff at Oxford Mail sister paper fight back over poverty pay

Journalists at the South London Guardian took strike action after the paper refused to improve on a 3% pay offer. More...

Can we help African refugees in Oxford?

The NUJ branch has received a request to help with a Newsletter for African refugees. More...

£2000 for Local News Project

A £2000 grant has been awarded by the Community Champions Fund to a project in support of the Local News Campaign. More...

BBC national strike

And now the news from your area... More...

From the frontline

Emma Campell, videojournalist and joint MoC reports from the picket line More...

Newsquest ballot

Oxford Mail and Times Chapel ballot for action over pay, by William Crossley More...

Our man in the Ukraine

Oxford Mail deputy chief sub-editor William Crossley has just returned from a visit to Ukraine, with the NUJ's North of England regional organiser Miles Barter, to give seminars on trade union organisation and professional ethics to members of the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine. More...

Recruitment week

New members flock to join the T&F books chapel More...

DEFEND THE BBC!

NUJ ballots for action over swingeing job cuts More...

NUJ conference

Musings of a first time delegate, by Ag MacKeith, Primary Literacy Editor, Harcourt Education More...

Who cares about quality local news? WE DO!

People in Oxfordshire value their local media but believe local news services could do more to connect with their local communities, reporting more about things that are going right, and giving more explanation and insight when things go wrong. More...

Organising the book sector

February's meeting succeeded for the first time in gathering a critical mass of book and journal chapel reps. More...

Staff at Oxford Analytica show how it's done

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March 21-24 is recruiting week: be prepared

NUJ recruitment week is our chance to increase our membership to boost our bargaining power where we are recognised, and to build for recognition where we are not. More...

March 19 We Launch the News Campaign

The Oxfordshire Local News Campaign will be launched at a conference on Saturday March 19th, from 1.00-3.45pm at the Oxford Cherwell College (formerly CFE), Oxpens. More...

PAY ROUNDUP

The Oxford Mail and Times chapel has submitted a pay claim of 6% for 2005. The same claim has been submitted by all the other chapels in the Newsquest group, but the chapel has also asked for a £1,000 Oxford weighting. More...

Journalists, PR and Integrity -- Friend or Foe?

Oxford branch sets up Mike Biddulph memorial award More...

Defend the public service values of TV and radio

Organising across Europe to defend public service broadcasting was the subject of one of three meetings hosted by the NUJ at the European Social Forum, in London October 14/15. Below we reprint the speech delivered by Tom O’Malley from the UK Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom. More...

Obituary: A proud part of our history

Michael Biddulph was chapel clerk at the Oxford Mail and Times for almost 10 years in the 1970s and ’80s. Peter McIntyre, FoC for much of that period, pays tribute. More...

Local News Campaign

The Oxford NUJ has alerted hundreds of organisations to the threat posed to their local news services and asked for their support. More...

Disciplinary case in postal strike

Branch calls for charges to be dropped More...

Support a strong and independent BBC

The Oxford NUJ branch sent a delegation of 10 on the Parliamentary lobby on the BBC, including one Amicus member and a woman who, though not a journalist, had benefitted from a local BBC scheme to introduce members of the public to the skills of radio broadcasting. More...

We call on our viewers, listeners and readers to rally round

News and current affairs, local and national, are the lifeblood of democracy and of cohesive vibrant local communities.Well we would say that wouldn't we? We're journalists. But now, in the first such exercise carried out by this branch for a very long time, we are going to find out who else believes that our public service broadcasting tradition is worth defending. More...

My ADM

The Oxford Branch sent three delegates to represent them at the NUJ's Annual Delegate Meeting in March. Jo Duckles, deputy MoC at the Oxford Mail, was one of them. Here she gives her impressions of being a first-time delegate to the supreme policy making body of the union. More...

ADM 2004 - What your delegates said and did

Your delegates to ADM 2004 were: Jo Duckles (Oxford Mail), Bill MacKeith (freelance), Anna Wagstaff (freelance). More...

ADM 2: Hutton and after -- Your union's response

Much has been said and written by various NUJ officials in response to the Hutton report and the events it unleashed. But it is the delegates gathered at ADM, the union's sovereign policy making body, who have the final say. Below we publsih what they said: More...

Salary survey sparks calls for recognition

The Harcourt/Butterworth chapel at Jordan Hill, Summertown, is attracting interest among a new layer of potential recruits following a salary survey conducted at the end of last year. More...

200 jobs to go as Central announce closure of Nottingham studios

Central Television has earmarked its Nottingham studios for closure, with the likely loss of around 200 jobs. Local news for the area is set to be covered instead from a single “newsgathering center” in the East Midlands. More...

Defend Public Service Broadcasting!

With public service broadcasting under threat as never before, the Oxford branch, at its February meeting, welcomed the decision of the NUJ's Broadcasting Industrial Council to launch a Public Service Broadcasting Defence Campaign. More...

John Mitchell looks at the future under ITV plc

Broadcasting is going through an unsettling period of very rapid change that could threaten both jobs and standards. Here John Mitchell, vice-chair of the NUJ’s Broadcasting Industrial Council, writes exclusively for the Oxford branch website about the current upheavals at both ITV plc (Carlton/Granada) and the BBC. He outlines what the union knows about the state of play, he voices his fears for the future, but he also offers some rays of hope, and puts out a call for everyone who cares about the future of Public Service Broadcasting to join the NUJ campaign, which will be launched at the NUJ Annual Delegate Meeting at the end of March. More...

Pay Strike at the Oxford Mail

A quarter of a century ago frustration at the appalling wages paid on provincial newspapers finally spilled over into a national strike. Peter McIntyre, then FoC at the Oxford Mail, tells the story of how his chapel won the biggest pay rise ever. More...

HANDS OFF THE BBC!

Staff at BBC Oxford joined their colleagues up and down the country in staging a two-hour rally on the Thursday February 5th in defence of the editorial independence of the Corporation. More...

Carlton redundancy battle hots up

NUJ members working for the Carlton section of what has now become Carlton Granada have voted by more than 80% to proceed with a ballot for strike action over compulsory redundancies. More...

Hutton: views from Radio Oxford listeners

Click on the link to reach Radio Oxford's website, http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/features/2004/02/bbc_protest.shtml , where you can listen to extracts from the Bill Heine phone-in on Hutton. More...

Touch my friend and you mess with me

"I've never felt so helpless as in the last few days..." One member of the Oxford BBC chapel talks about how it felt as the travesty of Hutton and its aftermath unfolded last week. More...

BBC Oxford journalists join nationwide protest

The branch has issued the following press release calling for support for the rally outside BBC Oxford, Thursday February 5th, 12.00--2.00pm, More...

BBC Chapel responds to Hutton and its aftermath

The BBC NUJ chapel has joined the growing chorus of protest emanating from journalists and other staff throughout the BBC. They have called a rally outside the station on Thursday 12.00--2.00 to defend the editorial independence of the BBC. More...

Forget Gilligan—Radio Oxford has won its first Gillard award!

Who is Gilligan anyway? The only BBC correspondent the Oxford NUJ branch is interested in is Gillard, the man who gave his name to the local radio award so triumphantly won last year by our current vice-chair Mark Young, together with the BBC Radio Oxford sports team. The awards, "a celebration of excellence in local programming," were named after war correspondent Frank Gillard, who founded BBC local radio. Here Mark tells the story behind the programme — an in-depth live coverage of the triumphant night when the Oxford Silver Machine's Nicki Pedersen defied the odds at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium to win the 2003 British Speedway Grand Prix. More...

Jim McClure is lost for words

Sadly this website is unable to bring you the promised interview with Jim McClure. The former Oxford Mail Editor cancelled the interview at the last minute claiming he was not sure what to say. Peter McIntyre, who had arranged the interview said: "Jim apologised profusely, and insisted he had a high regard for the NUJ. However, he was clearly uneasy about going on record on the branch website. It's a pity, because McClure has a unique insight into our local press that any branch member would be interested in. " More...

All Change for 2004

The coming year will see changes for many of our chapels. More...

Hands off our local news services!

The NUJ is launching a campaign to defend quality regional news output in response to swingeing cuts in some services following the merger between Carlton and Granada. Smaller centres, like Carlton’s Central News South operation in Abingdon, face a particularly uncertain future. Members working at the threatened station have been invited to give a report to the December branch meeting on the local situation, and a national official will give the latest the national campaign, so the Branch can discuss how we can build local public and political opposition to any jobs cuts or closures. More...

Fifty-six jobs threatened in BBC's regional services

The chapel at BBC Oxford has been meeting to discuss its response to proposals to make 56 redundancies across the BBC’s regional services. Members reiterated the call from their sister chapel at the BBC South production centre in Southampton for NUJ officials to “reject any form of redundancy.” More...

Newsquest chapel seeks advice over sacking for sickness clause

The Newsquest Oxfordshire NUJ chapel is taking legal advice about the recently issued staff handbook. The main concern is a new sickness policy that could result in a loyal member of staff being sacked for just seven days of sickness in a 12-month period. More...

Oxford is testbed for Milestone's tri-media strategy

The takeover of Courier Group Newspapers has given Milestone, owners of Six TV and Passion fm, the third and final component of its so-called "tri-media strategy." We asked out our special correspondent, Charles Calthorpe, to find out who and what it's all about... More...

Courier Agreement To Mark Milestone For The Branch

Discussions at e Courier Group Newspapers over a recognition agreement with the NUJ are finally taking place with the assistance of ACAS. And Don Maglew, the official conducting the negotiations from the union side, is confident of a positive outcome. "ACAS have already laid much of the groundwork," he said, "and if things go according to plan, I would hope to have a recognition agreement in place by the end of January. More...

A third local TV news service for Oxford

Six TV, Oxford's local television station, is setting up its own local news service. It has already started providing radio news for its sister company Passion FM, as of November 1, and is hoping to broadcast TV news bulletins later in the year — the first TV news to serve exclusively the Oxfordshire region. More...

An ill wind from Germany

German media employers are mounting an unprecedented attack on their workers' conditions of employment. The move is being vigorously opposed by the NUJ's sister unions, the Deutscher Journalisten Verband and the Deutsche Journalisten Union in Ver di, and has been roundly condemned by the International Federation of Journalists. The outcome of the battle may have repercussions for members at companies like Macmillan Education, owned by the German media company von Holtzbrinck, and Random House (Bertelsmann), magazines publishers Bauer, and many more. The NUJ will be working with the European Federation of Journalists in solidarity with the German unions. Below we publish the press statement released by the International Federation of Journalists on 11 October 2003. More...

October 16 is the Branch AGM

It’s the Branch AGM ... And we want EVERYBODY there More...

Newsquest chapels claim 6% across all titles

The Oxford Mail chapel, part of the Newsquest group, has submitted a claim for a 6% pay rise for each of the next two years, as part of a groupwide pay bargaining strategy. More...

Award for Macmillan’s FoC hero

Alan Dury, FoC of the Macmillan NUJ chapel, has been awarded the first Jonathan Bentley Memorial Award — an annual presentation made by the NUJ Book branch to someone who has made a special contribution to branch activity during the year. More...

Tribute to Jonathan Bentley

Branch member Eddie Mizzi describes the man whose name is carried on the Book Branch award recently presented to Macmillan FoC Alan Dury. More...

The Oxford NUJ branch has a new chapel!

Staff in the newsroom of the Oxford Courier and Journal, the Abingdon-based weekly freesheets distributed to around 80,000 households across the county, have formed a chapel and are preparing to put in for recognition. More...

Macmillan members reap a small but important reward

The unions at Macmillan Education, Cowley, have achieved an important breakthrough in their demand for a negotiated transparent pay structure, following the one-day strike in June. More...

Harcourt chapel to conduct salary survey

Many staff at Harcourt Education share the concerns of the Macmillan chapel about unfair disparities in pay. More...

T&F call for 6%

The Taylor and Francis chapel have drawn up a claim of 6% across the board plus £2000 for Oxfordshire weighting. More...

Branch activist takes books and solidarity to the Palestinians

Ag MacKeith, a member of the Harcourt chapel, is spending 10 days in Palestine on a solidarity visit in the first half of September. More...

NEXT MEETING: Thursday July 10th, Oxford Town Hall, 7.30pm

AGENDA More...

Macmillan workers take action in protest at an imposed 2.1% pay

Something has changed forever at the Macmillan Oxford building on Between Towns Road. More...

More of a picnic than a picket ...

For most of the strikers this was their first experience of industrial action. Branch member and rookie picket Margaret Whitfield tells the story of her strike. More...

Andrew Smith MP backs campaign for Oxon Weighting Allowance

Who says we need our salaries bumped up to cope with the cost of living here? Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, now Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and MP for Oxford East Andrew Smith says we do. (So it must be true.)... More...

oxnuj.org.uk is launched

The Oxford branch website, oxnuj.org.uk, was formally launched at the Oxford Town Hall on June 12th. More...

Macmillan votes to strike over pay!

Staff at Macmillan are going on a one day strike on June 25... More...

Strike ballot called after Macmillan rejects arbitration

The joint NUJ/Amicus chapel at Macmillan Oxford has started the process of balloting over strike action after the company refused to go to arbitration over a pay dispute. More...

Arbitration leads to improved offer at the Oxford Mail

2.5% across the board, 4% for trainees, quicker pay progression following qualification More...

Come and help launch the new website oxnuj.org.uk: 6.30 pm, Thur

After months of deliberations, the Oxford Branch website, oxnuj.com.uk, is finally ready to launch. All members are invited to raise a glass or two in celebration of finally reaching this milestone in the branch’s history. More...

BBC Oxford chapel joins the action to defend two sacked members

Five weeks ago, the 3000 NUJ members who work for the BBC voted to take action over the sacking of two members of staff. The action is in protest at a breach of procedures and employees’ rights during the sacking of Adli Hawwari and Abdul Hadi Jiad, both of whom worked in the Arabic section of the World Service, and both of whom faced instant dismissal, with no warning and no right of appeal. Despite an unprecedented e-mail campaign by the BBC to try to head off the action, 63% of members approved industrial action short of a strike. Michael O’Connor, Senior Broadcast Journalist at BBC South Today, and a former FoC, describes how the Oxford chapel responded More...

Newsquest: towards a national strategy

The agreement over pay at the Oxford Mail comes at a time when the Bradford Telegraph and Argos and the Keighley News are escalating their long-running dispute over a 2% pay award by coming out on an indefinite strike. More...

What do we want? Oxford weighting! When do we want it? Now!

The Oxfordshire Weighting Allowance campaign (OWAC) called a demonstration on June 9 outside County Hall, Oxford, to highlight the need for local pay to reflect the exorbitantly high cost of living in the area. More...

Join the campaign for an Oxford "weighting" system

NUJ is putting its weight behind demands that Oxford pay rates be increased to reflect the excessive local housing costs. The Union's Annual Delegate Meeting, held in the first week of April in Llandudno, voted to take immediate steps to pursue weighting agreements that would extend to localities like Oxford. More...

A new generation makes policy

This year's annual delegate meeting, the unions's highest policy making body, had a record number of first time delegates. More...

WWWe're coming out!

www.oxnuj.org, the branch website, is scheduled to hit the Internet in April. (Huh, June...) More...

BBC reps call for strike action over sackings

Members at BBC Oxford are among 3000 BBC journalists to be balloted on strike action over the sacking of two NUJ activists at the World Service, in what NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear has termed the “ultimate betrayal”. More...

MANDATORY MEETING

March is the meeting you mandate your ADM delegate(s) on how to cast the branch vote at the union's Annual Delegate Meeting in Llandudno, the first week of April. More...

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