February 2000

Our guest speaker this month is Andrew Ecclestone from the Campaign for Freedom of Information. Jack Straw's optimistically named Freedom of Information Bill, which is going through Parliament at the moment, will have a major and detrimental effect on our ability to do our jobs as journalists.

The draft law is fundamentally flawed, says the Campaign for Freedom of Information. It gives far too much power to minor bureaucrats to keep whole 'classes' of information secret, and ministers can over-rule the new Information Commissioner on what should be revealed.

Information relating to investigations into possible offences are covered by a blanket exemption which would apply even after legal proceedings had been completed, or it had been decided that no offence had been committed.

The class exemption would cover investigations by both the police and regulatory bodies, from Trading Standards officers to Health and Safety Executive inspectors.

The Bill's exemption will also deny the public information about potential hazards. The investigations into the Paddington rail crash, which involves consideration of possible offences, could be withheld. Bacteriological surveys taken by environmental health officers investigating food poisoning outbreaks would also be withheld under this provision. As for nuclear accidents, there is even less chance of hearing about them.

Ignoring the findings of two select committees, and conveniently forgetting its own promises, the government's benchmark for secrecy is that disclosure of information could 'prejudice' the proper working of a department, quango or privatised service provider.

Everything to do with defence, international relations, relations involving Scotland and Wales, the economy, crime prevention and the administration of justice, immigration controls, the exercise of regulatory functions, audit functions and commercial interests - which doesn't leave much - can be kept secret by the authorities concerned if, in their opinion, its disclosure would 'prejudice' their operations.

The class exemptions also exclude all information relating to the formulation or development of government policy, including factual information, even if it agreed by all concerned that it is harmless.

As an example of how the new law could be used, in 1994 the Public Accounts Committee referred to the fact that West Midlands Health Authority had been responsible for "a waste of at least £10m, at the expense of health care for sick people in the West Midlands".

In the PAC's words the official responsible "was able to follow his own path, making a bonfire of the rules in the process, uncontrolled either by the Regional Health Authority or regional senior management" - who just happen to be the very people who would decide whether information about this scandal should be disclosed or not.

In summary the Bill is weaker than that:

• promised by the government in its white paper;
• apparently previously endorsed by the Home Secretary;
• currently applied under the openness code, introduced by the Conservatives;
• proposed for the Scottish FOI Act;
• adopted under the Irish and New Zealand FOI Acts.

Contact the campaign for Freedom of Information:
Suite 102, 16 Baldwins Gardens, London EC1N 7RJ
Tel: 0171-831 7477
www.cfoi.org.uk
Email: admin@cfoi.demon.co.uk

London Magazine Branch's main concern over the past year has been the campaign to win back union recognition in our sector, although the branch has been active in a number of other areas as well.

July's branch meeting, which was given over to a workshop on re-recognition, was one of the best attended meetings of the year. Valuable contributions were made by members from Emap, Reed, Haymarket and other major publishers.

Branch members have assisted in organising three recruitment meetings in Soho.

The branch took on organising transport for NUJ members and other trade unionists to Unison's demonstration against the derisory minimum wage in Newcastle in April, and to the lobby of the Labour Party conference in October.

We hosted a very successful public meeting in June, addressed by Seamus Milne of the Guardian, on the issues of war reporting and censorship during the NATO bombing campaign against Serbia.

Branch members were active in organising meetings and demonstrations against the Kosovan war.

Members have also taken the branch banner on demonstrations against racism, and to halt the execution of honourary NUJ member Mumia Abu Jamal in the US.

Trade unionists at UCL Hospitals and Pricecheck have addressed branch meetings in the course of the year. Members will be delighted to hear that the Pricecheck workers won union recognition for the TGWU in December after a long struggle. UCLH workers, however, are still menaced by privatisation and attacks on working conditions.

One disappointment has been that meetings at which the branch could have sent motions or amendments to the unionís annual conference were inquorate, so our input at national level has been diminished.

The branch is on the brink of an exciting period, with our best opportunity for years to recruit and win back recognition at many workplaces in the sector.

Our capacity to succeed is dependent - as always - on the willingness of members to participate in branch activities.

I look forward to meeting more of you in the struggles ahead.

Alan Gibson, branch chair

London Magazine Branch members were busy throughout 1999 signing up new recruits. The advent of new legislation on recognition ñ while it falls far short of what trade unionists need ñ undoubtedly encouraged many journalists to join the NUJ over the past year.

There were new members this year at all the leading magazine publishers. However, growth was strongest in those places where there have been active campaigns and efforts to raise the unionís profile. By far the greatest number of new members were at Emap. But we also recruited at Centaur, FT Business, Haymarket, Macmillan, Personnel Publications, Reed, Time Out, IPC and WGSN.

What this shows is that old-fashioned methods work. Following a leafleting campaign around the Soho and central London areas to publicise a meeting for prospective members in October, we received a number of membership applications from companies that had been leafleted.

Once again, top of the list was the Emap group, where plans to move titles from central London to Camden have caused considerable unease among staff. Another recruitment meeting will take place in Soho at the end of January after the Report goes to press.

The branch plans to hold a meeting in late March addressed by John Pilger and John Foster. This is aimed not simply at people working in the central area, but all magazine journalists in London. Weíll leaflet Soho workplaces for this meeting too ñ and hopefully sign up new members as well. Our message to the employers? The NUJ is back!

Ken Mulkearn, membership secretary

Over the past year we received £10,549 from the NUJ nationally as the branchís management allowance. Apart from £40 in interest payments that was our sole income.

Expenditure marginally exceeded income ñ by around £100. The bulk of our income was spent printing and mailing the Report, £8,306 in all. The branch may like to consider seeking alternative publishing arrangements in the light of this figure.

Spending on our monthly meeting room at ULU has been inflated by payments of back rent for the previous year. The total came to £1,180. The monthly rent is only £45, but the branch organised several socials in the period, including a fund-raiser for the West Africa dispute.

In addition, we contributed £250 to each of the NUJ charities, the Members in Need Fund and the Provident Fund.

Total donations for the year amounted to £1,430, as follows:

• £250      Members in Need Fund
• £250     Provident Fund
•   £80     Freelance branch
• £200     Oxford branch
• £250     Lobby of Labour Party
•   £40     Unison demonstration
• £110     UCLH dispute
• £200     West Africa chapel

David Blackman, Treasurer