Living our Values 2015: The view from the NUJ

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainability/2015/sep/15/national-union-journalists-ballots

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The NUJ “chapel”, or workplace branch, at Guardian News & Media (GNM) not only negotiates the pay, terms and conditions of all those working on the editorial floors. It is also the collective democratic voice of the journalists on everything from threats to media freedom to how the company is run.

In an organization without shareholders, the journalists and wider workforce are – along with our readers – its most important stakeholders. As their representative, the chapel seeks to hold the company’s management to account, along with the trust that owns the Guardian and Observer. We have also tried to democratise these structures and make them more transparent. That’s still definitely work in progress.

But it’s also what lies behind the success of the ballot for the Guardian’s new editor-in-chief, which was held in March 2015 and delivered a landslide vote for Kath Viner. That editorial staff endorsement was then backed a fortnight later by the trust, which appointed her as editor to replace Alan Rusbridger.

Ballots

The indicative ballot was organized by the NUJ, as were the hustings with four candidates, held in February at the Guardian and Observer headquarters in King’s Cross and attended by around 500 people. Each candidate produced a written statement and answered exhaustive questions, both from the floor and submitted in advance.

But voting wasn’t restricted to union members. And all those who earn more than half their income from editorial work for the Guardian or Observer were able to take part. In the event, Kath Viner won an outright majority of first preference votes - 53% of those voting (438 out of 830 on an 87% turnout).

An ‘indicative’ ballot for the editor (the legal power of appointment remains with the trust) was first held in 1995 at the initiative of the Guardian NUJ chapel. It was resisted by the trust at the time. But when journalists voted strongly for Rusbridger - who was then appointed - it set a powerful precedent and laid the basis for longer-term reform. As Rusbridger said at the time, having the democratically expressed backing of the journalists gave him a unique springboard as editor and he could not imagine a future Guardian editor being chosen without the support of a staff ballot.

Shortlist

This year, the trust accepted that whoever won the ballot would at least be guaranteed a place on the final shortlist. In practice, a decisive majority for any candidate from the people who produce the Guardian and Observer creates a compelling momentum for appointment. The only exception might be if an outstanding external candidate was unable to take part in what is a semi-public ballot - but the election of staff representatives to the trust’s appointment committee (as in 1995) might help square that circle in future. What is clear is that the staff ballot is now firmly cemented at the heart of the process.

A similar story of the NUJ creating democratic facts on the ground led to the election of the journalists’ member of the trust (other members are chosen by the trust itself). That first happened in 2001, when the trust reluctantly accepted the journalists’ choice of Larry Elliott - and then in 2011 when the editorial staff elected Heather Stewart with trust support.

We need to go further with democratisation of the trust and reform of the governance of the organisation. There’s a strong case for non-editorial staff to elect a trust member and for a mechanism of accountability to our readers (as well as to “perpetuity”, to which the trust says it holds itself responsible).

Decisions

There have also been questionable trust decisions in recent years which demanded greater independent scrutiny from those whose livelihoods depends on the organisation’s success. Among others, the company has continued to agree lavish boardroom pay and bonus packages while employees’ pay has been cut in real terms. The NUJ is pressing for elected staff representation on the company’s remuneration committee which signs off this excess, as well as a reduction in the gap between the lowest and highest salaries.

But what has already been achieved in terms of a direct staff say in the choice of editor and the ownership structure unquestionably sets Guardian News & Media apart - not only from other media organisations, but the vast majority of other employers. In an organisation which isn’t run for profit in particular, direct employee participation clearly works. Every one of these advances has been secured by NUJ members - and we’ll be working to expand them in the years to come.

•Seumas Milne is chair, Guardian and Observer NUJ chapel.