[2020] Motion 38 Respect for workers’ rights

carried motion
Carried motion

Received from:

Congress condemns the actions of the non-TUC-affiliated British Association of Journalists in striking a behind-closed-doors recognition deal with the London-based broadcaster Iran International, in order to block a recognition application from the National Union of Journalists.

It notes that journalists at the broadcaster had been organising for nearly three years and had built an active chapel, representative of the overwhelming majority of editorial workers. During this time, the NUJ has supported journalists experiencing harassment and intimidation from the Iranian state, through the weaponising of family members in Iran – hauled in for questioning, detained in solitary confinement, assets frozen, and instructed to tell their relatives to quit their jobs as journalists in the UK and return to Iran.

Congress reaffirms the right of workers to be collectively represented by a union of their choice, as protected under Article 11 of the Human Rights Act 1998. It further affirms its commitment to protecting any worker from being bullied and intimidated to join a union chosen by their employer.

Congress calls on the General Council to uphold the principle that workers choose their own union, and to campaign for a reform of trade union legislation to ensure that cynical union-busting moves to block and stymie trade union recognition applications are made unlawful.

National Union of Journalists