Magazine members make 5 November plans

Had a good discussion at London Magazine branch last night as part of the build-up to the 5 November Stand Up for Journalism day of action.

Throughout the magazine sector it is clear the same problems facing all journalists and publishing workers are increasingly evident. I heard tales of time and motion studies looking at how many stories a journalist writes or subs each day (as if these things can be measured like a production line), tales of staff shortages, people working longer hours and lacking the resources to maintain the quality of their magazines.

On 5 November the branch will be focusing part of its action on EMAP to highlight changes happening at the company, in particular the demand for more work with less resources, thereby compromising quality.

There was also a fascinating discussion about multiskilling - and the branch is putting forward a motion to the union's annual conference recognising the changes taking place and urging the union to ensure we provide the training and capacity for members to take on new roles in a multiskilled media environment.