Vacancies on NUJ Councils and Committees

THERE ARE some vacancies on the NUJ's Industrial Councils - bodies that advise on policy in the industry's various sectors.

A rmeeting of the NUJ's Freelance Industrial Council earlier this year; Photo: Matt Salusbury

A recent meeting of the NUJ's Freelance Industrial Council

Image © Matt Salusbury

Of interest to members of London Freelance Branch are seats going on the Freelance Industrial Council - including two seats representing London.

The London seats are for full members living within the area of the Greater London Assembly, whether or not their postcode is a geographical N, NW, SE, SW, EC, WC or E postcode. (So yes, a member in - say - Richmond, with their TW postcode, would be eligible as Richmond is a London Borough.)

Nominations are also open for various NUJ Councils and Committees, with members elected by delegates at the Union's Delegate Meeting. This is the NUJ conference held every two years, the next one's in April 2023.

See here for a list of post up for nomination in the November meeting. If you could contact the Branch Secretary ahead of the meeting if you are seeking the Branch's nomination, that would be helpful. (There is some time-sensitive paper that the Secretary will need to get to the NUJ head office soon after the meeting.)

Jobshares are possible, if you are thinking of standing in a jobshare you should obviously check that the other person you are thinking of standing with is up for it as well.

In order to stand for one of these posts, you need to seek the nomination of an NUJ Branch - that would, generally, be voted on at the London Freelance Branch meeting. The next one's on 14 November 2022.

In the event of more than one candidate being nominated for any given post, the NUJ will inform you that there will be an election by postal ballot.

If you are standing for a geographical seat that you have recently moved into, please contact the Membership Department to ensure that they have your eligible address. The term "disabled" is for the purposes of these elections self-defining, but you will have to first contact Membership to ensure the Union has you recorded as belonging to the demographic you are seeking to represent. (And to ensure that you are still recorded by the NUJ as being a freelance as well).

For freelance members only, there is a nominal loss of earnings allowance paid when you attend of Council meetings, based on how many hours these take. When meetings become face-to-face again, expenses for travel, and a small amount for "subsistence" (lunch during longer meetings) are also covered.