NUJ and striking members receive world wide support

Over the past few days NUJ Scotland has received emails from all over the world including the US, Slovenia, and Australia. Steve Orr, president of the journalists� union at the former flagship paper and hometown for the Gannet Company, Democrat and Chronicle newspaper, in Rochester, New York was in touch on Wednesday. He explained �we have had our own travails � 15 years with no new contract! � but no large number of compulsory redundancies to date� and offered to put something up on their local unions website. An email also received Wednesday came from Neva Nahtigal, vice president of the Slovenian Union of Journalists who offered continuous support of the �strike action at Newsquest and all other activities in defence of jobs and quality journalism�. And yesterday, came support from The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, which represents Australia�s journalists. Federal Secretary, Chris Warren, says they have �watched with dismay the progress of the dispute between your members at The Herald, Sunday Herald and Evening Times � We recognise that the swingeing budget cuts and pressure applied to staffing levels through enforced redundancies and non-replacement of departing staff inevitably puts pressure on the quality of the mastheads. This, while your owners, Gannett Inc., is choosing to reward its shareholders rather than invest in the future of its newspapers. Journalists throughout Australia applaud the solidarity shown by NUJ members and pledge our support in your ongoing struggle to defend your jobs and uphold your professional standards. Good luck on Friday!� Beyond this there has been continued support closer to home with Leo McMahon, FOC, Southern Star newspaper chapel, Skibbereen County Cork Ireland �writing again to re-iterate the support of our chapel and the Cork branch of the NUJ�.