Your reps
PHOTOGRAPH: STEPHANIE POWER
W New media trials Stephanie Power talks to Paul Scott, father of the chapel at the North Wales Daily Post
alking into the headquarters of the North Wales Daily Post and Weekly News, visitors encounter two grand printing presses that would be more at home in a museum. One is a Columbia flat bed press from the 1850s and the other a Linotype model 1 Typesetter from 1900. They date back to when newspapers had their own printing hall and they were last used in the 70s. Paul Scott, NUJ FoC, has no need for the presses either. He is the new media editor and is responsible for content on the web pages. Today, though, he is communicating in a distinctly traditional way – by holding a chapel meeting. Earlier this year members got union recognition after they decided to try to make their dealings with owner Trinity Mirror more specific to the Llandudno office. Paul explains: “We had an arrangement where staff from the Daily Post side were part of the Liverpool Daily Post chapel, while the Weekly News Staff had a more informal arrangement. We decided last year that it would be better to have our own, and it’s taken about a year to get through.” Paul, 29, has been a rep for just over a year. So, why did he step up to the plate? “We had a round of redundancies here and everyone was told they would have to re-apply for their jobs. I was one of only about four people who didn’t have to re-apply, and I just thought because people were already having the stressful process of trying to keep their jobs, maybe it would be easier if I took on the NUJ work. ” And how has he dealt with the extra responsibility? “I don’t think I have been nervous but you do feel responsible and you are constantly questioning whether you are doing the best by everyone. It’s good to throw it out to other people sometimes and get a bit of advice. “
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You feel responsible and are constantly questioning whether you are doing the best
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Multi-tasking: staff work on a wide range of titles
The chapel meets as and when it needs to, on average about once a month. Although Paul has taken on the responsibility of union work, it’s not always easy getting others to do likewise. With a slight world-weariness he says: “We still need a couple of reps here, health and safety and a union learning rep. I’m not too positive we’ll find any at today’s meeting, but that does need sorting out.”
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s new media editor, how does he view the sweeping changes in the industry? He says the company has committed to ‘new media’ but the whole sector is still in its infancy. “There is more going on with the video side of things, more journalists going out and trying to do a bit of video. It’s not fully fledged yet, but staffing levels make it difficult.” Unlike some journalists working in newspapers, he thinks that reporters should grasp new media opportunities if they can: “If I was a younger reporter, maybe 22 or 23, I would certainly want to get my hand in. It opens up new areas of the media in terms of career. It is worth it, but you don’t want to see journalists overstretched and having to juggle too many balls at once.” There are quite a few other balls to juggle in the office. Staff look after the North Wales Daily Post; North Wales Weekly News; the Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald; Bangor and Anglesey Mail; Holyhead and Anglesey Mail; Denbighshire Visitor as well as the tourism website, NorthWales.co.uk and a Welsh language site, Daily Post Cymraeg. So now representation has moved from Liverpool to Llandudno, how have staff responded to Paul’s work on recognition and union participation? “We have about 65 per cent membership, which was comfortable in terms of getting the recognition agreement. Sometimes it’s harder to get the younger staff because of subscription fees, but that’s always the same.” He laughs: “But we do get them to join, eventually.”
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24/5/10 17:27:05