View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

Office sale on hold as NUJ feels pinch

By Owen Amos

It’s not just newspapers that are suffering in the recession. The National Union of Journalists has announced it needs to raise income or cut costs to avoid a £500,000 deficit by 2012.

A report to the union’s National Executive Council said union membership is falling due to industry job losses.

It said if income fell by just two per cent a year up to 2012, the union would need £500,000 of extra income or cost-cutting to balance its books.

A ‘draft action plan’covering union buildings, subscriptions, membership, and all areas of expenditure, is subject of joint consultations with three staff unions.

A plan to charge an administration fee in some legal cases is also being investigated.

Meanwhile, proposals to sell its Headland House headquarters in central London, and share an office with the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union, has been put on hold due to the property slump.

The NEC report states: ‘With the state of the property market having put an end to plans to sell Headland House and share a new building, it is expected the union will reorganise staff and now rent out one floor at its London HQ to bring in around £45,000 per annum.”

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

General secretary Jeremy Dear said: ‘We cannot afford to allow our spending to rise and our income to fall.

“We must act to address a situation which can very quickly spiral out of control and force us in to making drastic cuts to staff and services or using up all our assets.

“We want to avoid that scenario and need to make strategic and tough decisions over the next few months that ensure the union concentrates its resources on building membership, growing income and controlling expenditure.”

Founded in 1907, the NUJ is among the biggest unions in the world, with 38,000 members.

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network