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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

Last November the NUJ led a Europe-wide day of action to stand up for quality news journalism in the face of cuts and profiteering that are forcing many out of the industry and impacting heavily on the quality of the service we can provide.
A similar campaign is needed now for book publishing, where similar pressures are becoming increasingly evident.
Increased use of “in-house” freelances, contracting out the more technical side of multimedia projects – often to companies in the Asian subcontinent – and subcontracting entire projects to ‘packaging’ companies can impact on the pay, job security and conditions of everyone concerned. The job of in-house editors and that of designers is less and less editing and designing, and more and more managing the traffic of proofs coming in and going out of the premises.
The loss of continuity, quality and control involved in these savings-driven changes can end up with the company losing money and failing to meet deadlines, while the strain on in-house staff escalates.
In educational publishing, a trend towards using full-time teachers to author publications means weekend working is increasingly a requirement of the job.
Too often, dedicated publishing workers are hired and fired according to short-term changes in demand. Not enough companies now look to invest in building up a well-trained, experienced and committed staff able to give their best to the work they are doing.

TIME TO REGROUP
Over the past few years the Oxford book chapels have recruited, built up chapel committees, got themselves trade union training, and begun to play a role in defending the terms and conditions of their members.
It is now time to look at trying to take a more strategic approach that goes beyond the defensive to focus on making the case for the sort of creative, diverse quality-led industry we want to work in.
The February branch meeting will take decisions about organising an Oxford Book Chapels Summit for all our book/journals members to start this work.