PA members celebrate new branch with tea party
Press Association staff celebrated the creation of a new NUJ branch with cake and a cuppa.
The new branch will be for NUJ members working across all areas of the PA Group in the UK and abroad.
Until now, only staff working in the UK's editorial division were represented by the PA chapel, which achieved recognition for collective bargaining in 2024.
One of the first orders of business for the new branch was to hold a tea party in the boardroom of London's PA offices in Paddington, coinciding with HeartUnions Week.
Emily Pennink and Jonathan Brady, PA chapel co-chairs, said:
"We are grateful to the NUJ for approving our branch bid.
"We could think of no better way to mark the next chapter in the PA story than with a natter over a slice of homemade cake and a cuppa.
“Getting together with colleagues to share our experiences, celebrate our successes and stand together in solidarity through tough times is what being part of a union is all about."
The branch launch follows the PA chapel’s successful bid for recognition by the PA management for collective bargaining on pay and conditions in the summer of 2024.
Since then, the chapel has supported editorial colleagues through a period of restructure and negotiated above-inflation pay deals over two successive rounds of annual talks.
Last autumn, chapel members voted in favour of applying to form a branch, which would expand membership to include staff members working outside the editorial division of the PA Group, although the collective bargaining group remains unchanged.
The creation of a branch provides PA staff with the opportunity to engage more closely with the democratic structures of the NUJ and fund its own activities in line with NUJ aims.
Jonathan and Emily added:
“Two-and-a-half years on from our successful campaign for union recognition at PA, the creation of a Press Association branch seemed like a logical next step.
“We are looking forward to working positively and in a collegiate way with colleagues from other areas of the business and build a community that we can be proud of.”
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