Freelance conference at ADM

THERE'S a "new burst of dynamism" in freelance organising within the NUJ, said Freelance Industrial Council chair Tim Dawson, speaking at the freelance sector conference during the NUJ annual conference in Belfast.

Tim listed some achievements of the union's freelance sector over the last year. Freelance agreements have been made at the Guardianand music magazines Q/Mojo, there was a well-attended meeting of the "Quality Street " network of contributors to "quality dailies" and Sundays, and a campaign of suggestion to encourage commissioning editors towards more professional approach to commissioning was in preparation (this has since been launched).

Dublin Freelance Branch and West of Scotland Freelance Branch have recently been revitalised.

A campaign to petition the BBC for collective bargaining rights for freelances has started. NUJ Freelance Organiser John Toner said his office found a copy of the Freelance from 1974, which lists the BBC as an organisation with a freelance agreement with the union. "It was possible before, it's possible now."

And there have, as always, been small, individual victories. LFB's Phil Sutcliffe related how one freelance pulled of a 200 per cent increase, from the £400 on offer to £800, and how another found a DVD featuring some ripped-off pics, and got £750 for it in a couple of days.

Online services for freelances have been developed, with an improved Freelance Fees Guide and a new version of the Freelance Directory with enhanced features, which is now free to members. "Another benefit for members, hurrah!" as Tim put it.

The NUJ has also persuaded the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to campaign for freelance workers' rights. Following the Fairness at Work Act 2000, the NUJ managed to include casuals in negotiations, at the Independent, the Telegraph and other workplaces. But the vast majority of casuals do not count as employees under the 2000 and with no no way of forcing employers to recognise freelances like they recognise staff and allow the union to represent them, their rates stagnated and have actually fallen.

The TUC campaign tries to persuade government to expand this definition to include many more millions. It is, says John, "a daunting task".

There's also a campaign for freelance rights at the EU level, through the International Federation of Journalists. This is in response to an EU Green Paper on Labour Law, prepared at the behest of employers, features "flexicurity" the bastardisation of "flexibility" and "security". Says John, "When employers say they wants more flexibility, you know it's a bad thing." The "security" aspect gives you better benefits when you're more frequently on the dole, as you'll be easier to get rid of. There are campaign postcards available from the Freelance Office with the charter, for you to send to your MEP.