Is the boycott exposing ‘hole’ in union democracy? June 7, 2007
Posted by rosieniven in facebook, Israel boycott, new media, NUJ, Social Networking.2 comments
Thought I’d share with you the latest post from the Stop NUJ Boycott blog:
Last week Rory Cellan-Jones, who set up the blog, wrote to more than 70 union officials asking them to tell their members about the Stop NUJ Boycott campaign. He only got three replies, one from an official who said he supported the boycott.
Rory’s main worry is that the controversy over the boycott is showing the huge hole in the democratic structure of the union – sparsely attended branch meetings and policy decided by the handful of delegates who go to ADM.
He also noted that officials seem reluctant to give members the chance to have their say on the issue:
“I’ve had other comments from activists who say people who cannot be bothered to attend branch meetings have no right to complain. But if that covers 99% of members (as it does) then the NUJ has a problem which it needs to address.”
Read the full post here.
So what do you think of the union’s democratic processes? Do the existing structures allow the views of grassroots members to be heard?
Members connect through social networking May 25, 2007
Posted by rosieniven in facebook, My Space, organising, Social Networking, virtual branches, Web 2.0.add a comment
We might not have virtual branches, but this hasn’t stopped union members from organising via the internet. The Web 2.0 generation is proving that monthly meetings are not the only way to interact, by using websites like Myspace, Facebook and others.
Members of the union’s New Media Industrial Council are getting into this in a big way. Here’s a post from their blog on the subject.
What do you think about this as a way of engaging members? Do you find using networking sites easier than attending a meeting? Are you a member of any of these social networks?
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