New Statesman refuses NUJ recognition

THE National Union of Journalists has been stunned by the refusal of the Left-wing weekly New Statesman to recognise the union, even though most of the magazine's journalists are NUJ members.
The NUJ chapel at the New Statesman will now seek statutory recognition which would require management of the magazine to recognise the union - something of an embarrassment for a publication with Left-wing credentials.
Sue Harris, NUJ national organiser for magazines, said: “Given the editorial stance of the publication we were astounded by their response. We will now start the statutory procedure to gain recognition which we are confident of winning because we have more than ninety percent union membership in our proposed bargaining unit.”
The NUJ's battles over recognition have tended to involve big publishing groups which have "no recognition" policies, which trade unionists see as a legacy of the Thatcher years. Some might feel management are behaving more like Alan Ba'stard in the 'New Statesman' TV series rather than the stewards of a venerable Socialist mag.