The National Union of Journalists is urging photographers to join a demonstration outside the offices of Guardian News & Media in protest at it no longer paying repeat fees for commissioned photos from freelancers.
The union has set the protest for 1 September.
John Toner, NUJ freelance organiser, said: ‘At a time when press photographers are suffering severe hardship as a result of the economic downturn, it comes as a further blow to be informed that GNM demands unlimited re-use of photographs free of charge.
‘Re-use is not free use.”
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According to the union, the Guardian NUJ Chapel has also agreed to represent GNM’s contract photographers, who are resisting moves to end payment for re-use, in a collective grievance.
Toner added: ‘We will be working with the British Photographic Council to co-ordinate a mass response to GNM’s rights-grab. We urge GNM management to enter into meaningful negotiations.”
In a statement issued earlier this week, GNM said it had been compelled to look at costs across the entire organisation because of the economic situation, adding that its terms remain amongst the best in the industry.
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It said: “This is not a rights grab. The changes announced, in practice, will affect only a very small proportion of contributors.”
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