Huston - we have a problem!

The offending leaflet

For a man in charge of a newspaper facing its sixth week of indefinite all-out strike action by almost the entire journalistic staff, it’s nice to know what the "innovative and charismatic" South Yorkshire Newspapers MD John Bills' main priorities are.

Fresh from the embarrassment of revelations that he paid his own son to sit in the Doncaster editorial office slagging off the papers he runs on facebook, and publicity over his ludicrous Linked-In profile text, we can now reveal that Mr Bills has sent his first formal communication to the NUJ since the beginning of strike action all those weeks ago on July 15.

An invitation to negotiate perhaps? An acknowledgement of the genuine and heartfelt concerns of his loyal and hardworking staff?

No. Not a chance.

Instead, Mr Bills has broken his self-enforced public silence to chastise the NUJ over a leaflet (posted right and below) circulated at the Doncaster Rovers football ground critical of South Yorkshire Newspapers editor-in-chief Graeme Huston.

Better still, Bills shares with us the knowledge that poor old Mr Huston was sent a copy of the leaflet with a “derogatory note” attached as he manned a lonely editorial office last week with only a handful of scabs for company.

You can see Bills' letter to the NUJ here.

The leaflet detailed Huston’s decision to lay off the well-respected long-serving Doncaster Free Press Sports Editor Peter Catt.

Whilst clearly satirical, the leaflet was not factually incorrect in any way - my colleague Chris Morley said to Bills in response: "It appears to me that the material is both accurate and fair comment.". 

It is very telling that Bills has chosen not to write to the NUJ for any other purpose than to defend the self-described “third most important man in Doncaster” from some gentle ribbing.

Huston has presided over a huge decrease in circulation at the Free Press during his time at the helm. From my own observation as a union officer servicing the strike, it is very clear to me that it is opposition to Huston’s management style that has united the NUJ Doncaster chapel. It is a strong unity that has lasted longer than virtually any industrial action in recent domestic history.

Yet still, all Bills seems to do is defend his manager from some honest satire and continue repeating the mantra that he will only talk to the NUJ when members return to work.

In my experience, any boss with sense would have opened up negotiations and would have got the members back to work by now and been able to call it a draw. But Bills is different. He is actually making more moves to inflame and entrench positions to ensure this damaging dispute continues into the distance.

It is a mark of the arrogant and pathetic Johnston Press approach that they would sit back and destroy their own papers rather than admit they might have been slightly wrong or change their management approach one iota.

Still, it is heartening to know that after weeks of principled serious campaigning and protesting, the weapon that has finally succeeded in bringing the management heads out of the sand is the simple weapon of mockery. If that’s what forces them to talk - then there is a lot more of it to come.

Text of Bill's letter to NUJ:

Dear Chris

We bring to your attention the enclosed leaflet which we understand is being distributed by your members who are currently out on strike action.  A copy of this was sent personally to Graeme Huston with a derogatory note included.

It must be stressed that actions of this nature are not acceptable and I am sure that you are as disappointed as I am that this literature is being circulated.

I trust that the NUJ does not condone this literature and type of behaviour. I would ask that you remind your members of their responsibilities and code of practice whilst taking part in industrial action

Yours sincerely

John Bills

Managing Director

Chris Morley's response:

Dear John

Thank you for sending on a copy of the leaflet "The Man Who Kicked the Catt" and your letter dated yesterday.

It appears to me that the material is both accurate and fair comment. It is also presenting important news to the people of the town that has been withheld from the pages of the Doncaster Free Press during the strike.

I suggest that if the story of Peter Catt's dismissal had been properly reported in the DFP, then derogatory comments about the prime mover would have come to your offices directly.

As you know, the actions of the company in targeting talented journalists who were known by management as leading members of the NUJ chapel has angered my members so much they are on indefinite strike. Denying them the chance to bring about a satisfactory settlement of the dispute by your refusal to hold talks without withdrawal of the action, can only increase my members' determination to hold management to account.

Instead of asking me to repudiate the actions of my members, I suggest you instead ask me for my availability to hold talks to resolve the dispute. I am happy to do this at any time.

Yours sincerely

Chris

Back of "Who Kicked the Catt" leaflet:

Ever wondered what the strike breakers are thinking? Now we know...

Tom Bills - son of SYN Managing Director John Bills

I have often wondered what goes through the mind of people who willingly and openly cross trade union picket lines to replace striking staff.

Now, thanks to the miracle of social media and a lax attitude to privacy settings, the 24 NUJ members about to enter their fourth week of indefinite strike action against South Yorkshire Newspapers group now know what the scabs are thinking and saying.

Fresh from being hauled over the coals for using 16-year-old work experiences to break the strike, Johnston Press has had two University Students manning the editorial department on and off over the past three weeks.

One is Tom Bills – by happy coincidence the son of South Yorkshire Newspapers Managing Director John Bills. This is the same John Bills who yesterday refused again to negotiate or even speak collectively with the NUJ while the strike continues.

The other is Tom’s mate Jack Rees.

Tom Bills indeed confirms several times on his Facebook banter that he has been “workin in a newsroom in doncaster, av been for a couple of weeks! Its reaaaaalllly goood! ;) x” - presumably without a hint of sarcasm.

It seems he and Jack enjoyed themselves at first, maybe even more than could be expected. On one of his first mornings at work on Monday July 18^th Tom asks his 586 friends “is it bad that I found the word 'erection' funny at work in a story about a building being built?!! :D”

Sadly, the task of bringing local news to the Doncaster and South Yorkshire community clearly wasn’t something that really inspired Tom or Jack in the longer term.

By the following Tuesday July 26, as he mans the newsdesks some 24 hours from the Doncaster Free Press deadline, Tom reports he is: “sooooo bored at work I've actually started look at the clock more than my computer screen!”.  

Jack joins in on this thread with his own unique insights on their work and how to dispel the boredom: “nothing get a man erect like doncaster editorial. lets toss each other off”.


Jack particularly is clearly unimpressed with what he is doing: “well work is where i want to be in this mood wahhhhhhhh” the next day at 9.48. Less than two hours later, in desperation, he asks his 525 pals: “can u listen to ur ipod in a newsroom wen ur sposed to be workin?”


There’s more on there if you're quick. If the boys eventually clock on to this and change their privacy settings so the entire world can’t see their facebook status updates, then contact us for the multitudinous screengrabs we have saved for posterity. (UPDATE 20:00 - screengrabs now available below as Tom Bills has blocked his wall from view - although the individual links on here still work!)


Ultimately it’s good to know Tom’s not doing the strikebreaking out of any anti-union ideology or because his dad has forced him into it. He informs everyone he is: “just thinkin of the dollar atm!"

Presumably Tom and Jack aren’t getting anything near the 10 million shares the new chief executive of Johnston Press will be when he deigns to take up the reigns of the beleaguered group in November.

But they have both clearly been paid to work at the same time as experienced and skilled journalists lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The placards, vuvuzelas, theatrical productions in the street, not to mention the extensive local media coverage shouldn’t have escaped their attention, so they knew full well they were breaking a strike that has a huge impact on peoples lives.

The deeper and more serious aspect to this is John Bills’ judgment. Why did he employ his own son and his friend to work in editorial when neither appear to have any journalistic training or experience, then allow them to sarcastically spout forth on facebook belittling the newspapers he runs? It reinforces the belief held by the NUJ that John Bills cares not a jot about the editorial coverage in the newspaper, or even the reputation of the papers.

Had any ordinary NUJ member been caught mouthing off on facebook in the same way, they would have almost certainly been sacked for bringing the company into disrepute. So seeing as John Bills is ultimately responsible for employing his son to sit in the office and mouth off about how crap it is working at the Doncaster Free Press, surely Johnston Press directors should be seriously questioning his suitability for running a newspaper group.

As the full-time officer covering the action, I have come to know the members on strike very well over the past few weeks. I know they are doing this as a last resort to save the papers they love and respect. One journalist told me yesterday how the hardest thing about striking was how he missed the actual day to day work and reporting the news that matters.

It's a shame Johnston Press doesn't seem to value this dedication and professionalism, choosing instead to throw money at the children of the bosses who proceed to ungratefully sit and publicly slag off doing the jobs our members love.