Unions in London have paid for an advert in the free Metro daily paper as part of their campaign against public sector cuts.
It appeared yesterday (December 1) and was headed by the logos of the south east and eastern Trade Union Congress (TUC), Unison Greater London, and Unite the union.
The ad said: "This week the coalition government will announce cuts of £1.5 billion to London council budgets.
"Londoners face major cuts in essential public services - services the young, elderly and vulnerable depend upon.
"Thousands of public sector workers will lose their jobs.
"These cuts are unnecessary - there is an economic alternative: collect unpaid taxes, invest in growth and tax the banks.
"Public services.
"Don't wait till they've gone to defend them."
The ad ended with web addresses for a Unison public services campaign, Unite, and the TUC.
COMMENT:
It’s very good to see trade unions taking their message to the wider community.
But:
Why give money to a paper in the Daily Mail group which is the most hostile to trade unions both as an employer and editorially?
Why not call on London’s Labour councils to refuse to implement the cuts?
The advert seems a bit wordy.
And I think it should urge people to do something specific to fight the cuts.
What do others think?
Sounds like a poor ad, but unavoidable to give money to the evil empires if you want to advertise in the most widely-read newspapers.
ReplyDeleteThat's a big if though. I question the value and effectiveness of ads in print newspapers that might be looked at, might not be, that have a one-day shelf life before being binned/recycled, compared with ads on public transport and other outdoor spots.
I agree about avoiding giving any money to hostile-to-unions outfits like the Daily Mail Group, although for accuracy I should point out that the Metro is a joint venture with Trinity Mirror. At TM the NUJ does have recognition at most sites and while we have plenty to say about what they have been doing, they are not overtly anti-union.
ReplyDeleteDisappointed by your comments Rich on newspaper advertising. It seems to call into question the basis on which a large number of NUJ members earn their living. The truth is that advertisers will still pay heavily to have ads in print - although I will concede that the attacks on their own journalists and journalism by the big newspaper groups is obviously undermining this.