Union Believes INN Closure Maybe Illegal

Paula Martin

If, like me, you think the threatened closure of INN is an abomination, you maybe interested in the following press release issued by the National Union of Journalists earlier today.

Here's hoping UTV can be stopped in its tracks.
________________________________________________________________

MEDIA RELEASE

NUJ Urges Probe into INN Board

The National Union of Journalists has called for an investigation by the Director of Corporate Enforcement into the activities of the board of Independent Network News.

The call comes as journalists at the national news service ballot for industrial action in protest at the decision of the INN board to serve four weeks notice of redundancy and to wind up the company. The result of the ballot will be known on Friday afternoon.

Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley said the board had failed to consult with staff, had failed to consider options short of wholesale redundancies and was acting with indecent haste in setting October 30th as the closure date.

Mr Dooley said: "INN board members have serious questions to answer about their behaviour. On Friday last INN board member Ronan McManamy, CEO of UTV Radio Ireland, himself a member of the board of INN, began touting for business from INN clients as NUJ chapel officers and officials began a meeting with Chief Executive John O'Connor. The NUJ has made Mr McManamy's email available (see below). This move undermined the NUJ request that redundancy plans be suspended pending negotiations under the auspices of the LRC.

The Director of Corporate Enforcement should determine whether it is appropriate for an INN director to canvass for business against the interests of INN while the company is still trading and when the company is in consultation with staff. He should also examine whether board members have met their fiduciary duties by establishing a group to examine the provision of a news service to regional radio stations while INN is in operation. There is a nasty smell from all this."

Mr Dooley added: "INN management claim that they have complied with company law but the most basic prinicple of not acting against the commercial interests of the company are apparently being ignored as the board sets about dismantling a service recognised for editorial excellence, reliability and independence.

With changes in the ownership structure in the radio sector UTV have become the dominant INN shareholder, alongside Denis O'Brien's Communicorp. UTV and Communicorp have ambitions to provide an alternative commercial service and so INN faces obliteration. This clearly illustrated the problems caused by the concentration of media ownership in Ireland in the hands of powerful media conglomerates."

The NUJ has already written to Ms Mary Coughlan, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment calling for a ministerial investigation into the closure of INN. That request is currently being considered.

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The following is the text of the email issued by Mr McManamy:

After the recent demise of INN, we are currently looking at the creation of an alternative service that will be available to all interested stations by the end of the month. We would hope that this service will replicate many of the good aspects of the INN service but will critically remove the financial risk from subscribing stations.

We wish to design the service to meet the specific needs of the local/regional radio stations and to put a clear alternative to the national stations into the market place.

We are arranging to meet Fiona Stack and her sub-committee next week and would appreciate if any interested stations could forward details of your station's specific news requirements by email over the coming days. This will allow us to design a service that meets the unique requirements of the local independent sector.

I look forward to hearing from you and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,
Ronan McManamy
CEO
UTV Radio Ireland

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The following is the text of the letter sent to Ms Coughlan

Ms Mary Coughlan
Office of An Tánaiste and
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
23 Kildare Street
Dublin 2

Notification of Collective Redundancies: INN

Dear Minister,

The National Union of Journalists has learned with concern that Independent Network News is planning to close down the company’s operations. The company has written to individual employees stating that their employment will be terminated on October 30, 2009.

The company is in clear breach of the Protection of Employment Act, 1977 (as amended) and I am requesting your immediate intervention to ensure that the employer fully complies with statutory requirements.

I further request that you use your powers to carry out a formal investigation into the redundancies, which arise from a decision of the Board of INN “to cease operations”.

At a meeting with Mr John O’Connor, Chief Executive Officer, today the NUJ was unable to establish why the company has not examined alternatives to closure. There has been inadequate consultation with staff and no meaningful examination of alternatives to redundancies.

INN is a national news service and the agency provides news copy to the independent broadcasting sector. The provision of this service enables independent stations to comply with their statutory obligations under the Broadcasting Acts.
This need continues and the Board of INN is drawn from representatives of client companies who use the news service.

It is my understanding that a sub committee of the Board is examining the development of a replacement service to the stations. This raises the question as to whether there are in fact genuine redundancies. Mr O’Connor was unable to provide information on this point.

Of concern to this union is the fact that the Board includes representatives of commercial companies with a vested interested in the demise of INN since they occupy dominant positions within the broadcasting sector and could benefit from the closure, through the long-term provision of service to regional stations.

I believe that the proposed collective redundancies may, in these circumstances be regarded as exceptional collective redundancies and would not fall within the definition of a genuine redundancy in accordance with the Redundancy Payments Acts 1967-2007 if as appears: The board or a sub committee of the board is putting in place arrangements to provide an alternative service and/or members of the Board may in the future contrive to provide a replacement service to that currently provided by employees at INN threatened with redundancy.

Please give this matter your urgent attention.

Yours sincerely,
Séamus Dooley,
Irish Secretary.

mike65

..and you are? A concerned listener? an INN employee? A union official?

Big Balls

They're closing a company not making certain journalists redundant. Don't see how the NUJ will win this one but it's not nice with people losing their jobs either.

Paula Martin

Big Balls wrote: »

They're closing a company not making certain journalists redundant. Don't see how the NUJ will win this one but it's not nice with people losing their jobs either.

You're right, they're not making CERTAIN journalist redundant. They're making ALL of their journalists redundant.

buzzbomb

Paula Martin wrote: »

You're right, they're not making CERTAIN journalist redundant. They're making ALL of their journalists redundant.

and to repeat what Mike65 said.
Who are you? A concerned listener? an INN employee? A union official?

If you're a union rep you're about twenty years too late to give a **** about what goes on in Irish commercial radio.

If you're an INN employee I'm genuinely sorry you're losing your job and hope you pick up employment as soon as possible.

And if you're a listener? Well, who cares about you!:(

giftgrub

The closure of INN is a shame, and I wish everyone there the best in their future endeavours. Its not a nice thing to lose your job

However the NUJ is completely useless. They only tend to care about print media, and even then they don't have a lot of clout.

Somewhere like the Irish Times, RTE or the BBC has the weight of numbers behind them when it comes to industrial action, but in commercial radio, where newsrooms have 5 to 6 people...? It doesn't work

Unfortunately the attitude among people nowadays is "keep the head down, dont rock the boat and maybe I'll get through this with my job"

The Muppet

mike65 wrote: »

..and you are? A concerned listener? an INN employee? A union official?

Whats the relevance of that question Mike ?

Money will win out in the end as usual with anything Radio related in this country. Sorry for those losing their jobs.

mike65

When people with no history publish press releases I like to know who they represent

FlutterinBantam

The Muppet wrote: »

Whats the relevance of that question Mike ?

Money will win out in the end as usual with anything Radio related in this country. Sorry for those losing their jobs.

Poster obviously has some vested interest, no harm in saying what their angle is.

A shill ,I believe, is the term used.

That's the relevance.

The Muppet

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

Poster obviously has some vested interest, no harm in saying what their angle is.

A shill ,I believe, is the term used.

That's the relevance.

No harm for us , could well be harm for themselves.

It's obvious from op's that they are involved in the situation, it was not necessary to ask the question IMO.

The op didn't claim to be unconnected so I think you are wrong to use that terminolgy .

bbability

The Muppet wrote: »

No harm for us , could well be harm for themselves.

It's obvious from op's that they are involved in the situation, it was not necessary to ask the question IMO.

The op didn't claim to be unconnected so I think you are wrong to use that terminolgy .

I agree. This isn't a witch hunt by a first time poster more so someone who's probably about to lose their job. Obviously pissed off and rightly so.. There's a big shift happening in this country to either having loads of money or no money at all. This is another example of the separation of the classes.

Big Balls

I think I'd be busier emailing the UTV man with my CV than sending a TD an email to be honest.

You can't close Topaz and tell Esso they're not allowed sell petrol anymore - that's the corner INN want the NUJ to fight for them.

The Muppet

Big Balls wrote: »

You can't close Topaz and tell Esso they're not allowed sell petrol anymore - that's the corner INN want the NUJ to fight for them.

You could if Esso owned part of Topaz, To be made redundant in this county your job has to cease to exist, I think thats the point the INN employees want teased out..

coopersgreen

The NUJ are, and always have been, a pack of utter *****.

More Music

coopersgreen wrote: »

The NUJ are, and always have been, a pack of utter *****.

*****
HACKS ?