Action December 7 and 8

The chapel has voted to take further strike action on Tuesday, December 7 and Wednesday, December 8 unless the company is willing to meet NUJ reps and meaningfully address members' concerns.

Even our fiercest critics pledge their support

Football fan forums are a notoriously robust arena, and Brighton's North Stand Chat is no exception.
The Argus regularly gets a roasting on there, with any slip-ups swiftly spotted and posted up for general riducule.
So it was fantastic to see so many of its members voicing their support for the paper, and for our strike - maybe they don't really hate us after all!
Read it here for yourself.

Video report on The Argus strike from journalism.co.uk

Newsquest strikes from John Thompson on Vimeo.

What the readers think

Victor Funnell, 79, retired, from Ditchling Rise
"The Argus has been part of this city for a long time and if you want to know what's happening that's where you go. I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of any part of it being made out of the county. These jobs should stay in Brighton."

What the readers think

Suzanne Hamblin-Boone, 34, business magazine editor, from West Grinstead
"I used to live in Brighton and still read The Argus. It's extremely important to the city. I don't agree with the idea of moving the sub-editors to Southampton. If they are responsible for checking there are no mistakes then they need to know the patch the paper covers."

What the readers think

Kevin Daly, owner Rainbow Books, Trafalgar Street
"My father was a sub-editor so I know how important it is that the person checking the articles before they are published knows what they are doing. For a local paper, local knowledge would seem to be essential. Having that process done so far away does seem a strange idea."

What the readers think

Stacey Nona, 25, restaurant worker, from Ringmer Drive. With Gino.

"The Argus is really important to the area because it gives people a voice and it lets us know the things the institutions don't want us to know. It's been doing a good job for a long time so I don't see why it should be changed. I would tell the management of The Argus that we want our local paper to be made locally."

What the readers think

Edgar Willard, 80, retired, from Bevendean Crescent
"A paper for Brighton should be made in Brighton. I get The Argus everyday and I like to think the people who make it know about the city. I would be very sad if this plan went ahead."

Support from Norman Cook and Zoe Ball

We want a local paper for local people so of course we support the NUJ.

- Norman Cook and Zoe Ball

Brighton Pavilion's Green MP Caroline Lucas joins the picket line

Brighton Pavilion's Green MP Caroline Lucas joins the picket line, originally uploaded by Argus NUJ.

Alex Knutsen of Unison joins the picket

Alex Knutsen of Unison joins the picket, originally uploaded by Argus NUJ.

John Bennett on the picket line

John Bennett on the picket line, originally uploaded by Argus NUJ.

Day 2...

Day 2..., originally uploaded by Argus NUJ.

Honk honk

Honk honk, originally uploaded by Argus NUJ.

Clean sheets

Video: the picket line and FoC Tim Norman on why we're striking

The picket line gets a toot!



Tim Norman on why we're striking

Attila the Stockbroker lends his support

And it wasn't just local politicians lending their support - legendary performance poet and all-round agitator Attila the Stockbroker was also on this morning's picket line with this pithy sign.

He also gave us this message of support:

"A local paper should be produced locally by local journalists, not in a different county!
"The Argus is an important part of our local culture. One message for Newsquest’s greedy board - reinstate the Argus subeditors and pay all the staff a decent wage!"

The Argus on strike!

The Argus on strike!, originally uploaded by Argus NUJ.

Good job guys - loads of support from everyone too. Ace!

Support from Simon Kirby MP for Brighton Kemp Town

"Supporting local business is one of my key priorities as the Member of Parliament for Brighton Kemptown and so any loss of local jobs is source of regret. It is therefore disappointing that Newsquest have decided to relocate the Argus sub-editing function out of Brighton & Hove in favour of Southampton.

The Argus is a real Brighton & Hove institution and, although it clearly needs to adapt to new challenges, it is a great shame that it seem to be gradually losing its link with our City.

I believe democracy in our city is best served by having a genuinely local newspaper with journalists and editors who have an in-depth understanding of local issues.

I also reiterate my backing for the motion unanimously passed by Brighton and Hove City Council last year, supporting the City’s local written media and expressing concern at the growing regionalisation of press coverage in general. Unfortunately, this latest move by Newsquest seems to be another example of this and I hope they can be persuaded to reconsider this decision."

Statement of support from Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion

“As Brighton’s chief newspaper, the Argus performs a crucial service for local people – disseminating information on what is happening in and around our city and playing a hugely important role in holding our elected representatives to account. As a local paper, the Argus is key to encouraging a sense of pride in our communities, and provides a forum for people to talk about their achievements and debate the future of the city. This is a service that must be maintained and well resourced.

 

“Which is why I’m opposed to these misguided attempts by the Newsquest owners to pare down to a skeleton staff and move sub-editors to a completely different city. What’s more, it seems hugely unfair that Argus staff are facing a two and a half year pay freeze, whilst the Chief Executive is in line for a 21% pay increase. Sadly, when you put ownership of the media, especially local media, in the hands of distant multinational corporations like Newsquest, the reality is that key decisions are made by people who have no real appreciation for the consequences on the ground. I fully support the actions of the NUJ in this strike, and hope to see a favourable outcome for the Argus.”

 

The bill you won't see this morning . . .

From Richard Gurner on Twitter/Twitpic:

What other people are saying about us

Here's a round-up of coverage of the strike so far (more to come, hopefully!)

The Opinionist - Up the revolution
Ben Duncan - Boost for local bloggers as US-based Argus owners abandon Brighton
Mary Mears - Statement on the Argus journalists’ strike action
Brighton and Hove News - Argus journalists vote to strike
Journalism.co.uk - Brighton Argus journalists vote to strike
Press Gazette - Brighton Argus journalists join Newsquest colleagues in strike action
News from Brighton - The Argus strike action explained
Uckfield News - Journalists explain strike action at The Argus, Brighton
The Guardian - Argus journalists vote to strike

Support from Mike Weatherley MP

It is easy to take for granted the importance of a locally relevant daily newspaper. Knowing what the public want to read - and then being able to provide it - is all about local knowledge.

The Argus has been a central important publication for many decades and I am concerned that some of that essential local content will get lost with the proposed changes. I urge the newspaper owners to consider alternative options.

- Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove and Portslade

Support from Mary Mears, Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council

As a City, we have managed to weather the economic storm relatively well, in part due to initiatives such as our Be Local Buy Local campaign. So it is disappointing that Newsquest have decided to relocate the Argus sub-editing function out of Brighton & Hove in favour of Southampton. Supporting local business is one of my key priorities as Council Leader and so any loss of local jobs is a real source of regret for me.

Last year, the Council unanimously passed a motion supporting the City’s local written media and expressing concern at the growing regionalisation of press coverage in general. Unfortunately, this latest move by Newsquest seems to be another example of this.

The Argus is a real Brighton & Hove institution and, although they clearly need to move with the times (and the economic realities), it is a great shame that they seem to be gradually locating their operations out of the City. For the sake of strong local democracy, I believe that Brighton & Hove needs a genuinely local newspaper with journalists and editors who have an in-depth understanding of local issues. I hope that Newsquest can be persuaded to reconsider this decision.

- Councillor Mary Mears

Support from Lord Bassam, Opposition Chief Whip, House of Lords

Argus reporters deserve the support of local people for their genuine commitment to local news. I hope the campaign is successful. Even in the era of cyber communications we need a local paper.

Over many years the Argus has been a valuable  community service reflecting on the issues of the day. As a local politician the paper helped me communicate and develop a rapport with residents across the city.

The paper has played an invaluable campaigning role over many years on subjects as diverse as City status and pensioner poverty. Keep up the good fight.

- Lord Bassam

Support from Councillor Ann Norman, Deputy Mayor of Brighton and Hove

I have always bought and read the Argus because it is a local paper with local journalists who have a good knowledge of the area in which we live and work.

Although we are all looking at ways to provide a good service as responsibly and economically as we can, it would be a very sad day should local journalists and other local workers not be producing our local paper from Brighton and Hove.

- Councillor Ann Norman