AN ELECTION is under way for the new general secretary of the National Union of Journalists. The last contested election for the union’s top job was in 2001, meaning that many members may not have voted for their general secretary before. There is a vital choice to be made now. 

Rounds of redundancies are forcing hard-working journalists out of the newsroom. Freelancers find budgets have been slashed and rates are not rising. New entrants struggle with poorly paid and insecure roles without adequate support. 

In every direction our members are exploited and our safety compromised. Greedy executives and shareholders put profit before quality journalism and fairness at work. Tech giants and AI developers continue to abuse their power and steal our work without consent or payment. 

Journalism needs journalists and journalists need to be paid fairly for the work that they do. We all pay a price when we don’t value public interest journalism. Our democracy pays a price too.

I am a grassroots trade union activist, a former TUC Cymru official and a regular to TUC equalities conferences. As the current president of the NUJ, I have represented our union as an external speaker on topics including artificial intelligence, media freedom, diversity and journalists’ safety. 

The NUJ was here for me when I needed support getting my life and career back together after surviving domestic abuse. I’ve made it my mission to promote and build our union so it can continue to support others who need it. 

As a freelance photojournalist, I speak to and work with members and potential members across newspapers, ​magazines, broadcasting, PR and communications, publishing, digital and beyond. I know the challenges that staff ​and freelances experience and the difficult choices they have to make due to the cost of living crisis.

The NUJ is often referred to as “punching above its weight.” That’s true, and we are rightly proud of our far-reaching influence. But, we now need to be heavier. Our strong industrial strategy has served us well with several high-profile disputes, recognitions and wins over the last few years. That must continue, but we can’t rely on that alone. Our membership is declining.

To ensure financial sustainability and avoid ongoing subs rises, we need more members. Improved recruitment and retention is necessary to strengthen our collective voice and to retain our credibility and authority as a democratic union.

The reality is that the regional press sector is about a third of the size it was 15 years ago. Our members in broadcasting are increasingly battling cuts too. Our members across a range of publishing, communications, digital and visual media roles live with the stress of unstable and low-paid work, especially at the start of their careers and when freelancing. 

Our approach must feel relevant to a diverse membership, many of whom work in roles and sectors that didn’t exist 15 years ago. To engage young workers we must share our professional and trade union values in a way that resonates with their experiences. 

I have a record of working on student recruitment and developing younger and diverse activists within the union. I’ve opened up informal networks for members to engage and influence our priorities and will continue to build on that if elected as general secretary.

Our strength as a union necessitates organising increasingly isolated freelances and workers in smaller workplaces. I will lead on the development of a union-wide recruitment strategy and boost the capacity of our internal and external communications, to include more multimedia content to strengthen our organising efforts.

Leadership is core to the role of general secretary. I bring an independent grassroots perspective to the role, the appetite to robustly challenge hostile bosses and the professional and political experience to hold decision-makers to account.

Our union faces a choice between two candidates with very different visions. That choice is about our union’s continuing future as a vibrant, influential, independent force in an industry where so many of our members’ livelihoods are constantly at threat. 

Our members working in newsrooms, studios or at kitchen tables across the UK and Ireland deserve a leader with passion and experience to take the fight for their livelihoods to the highest level. That candidate is me.