Rupert Murdoch embraces trade unions, its a wapping epithany

[albertcadwell]

? Rupert Murdoch has said it was a "collective decision" to close the News of the World.

Its amazing really , at the ripe old age of 83 the old goat has finally seen the light, 'collective bargaining' the central tenant of unionism. So was it worth it , all those battles, all that hurt ? Now finally he understands , its never to late to repent. Its about the group silly, not just the wants of a few load mouths with forceful opinions.

Do you think we are gonna get the 'SundayShared' any time soon.....let's hope so eh?

[????]

Murdoch has many faults, but his bravery in taking on the absolute madness that was early 1980s print unions/Chapels is to his credit. Fleet Street in 1984 was almost unworkable and shortsighted luddism of the worst kind. Not allowing computesr FFS. I started work for a media group (United) then...it was unbelievable. The print unions ran everything and were among the highest paid people in the country, with a cosy closed shop of fathers to sons jobs, the print was closed for almost anything and there were multi-chapels at each newspaper, all who could strike for anything and bring everyone else out too, workers completley unsackable whatever they did, which was mainly blatant moonlighting.

[david_carnell]

????, c'mon man....play fair. Whilst even the most liberal amongst would agree that the print unions were particularly thick-skulled when it came to recognising the need to accept modern technologies (and given I' the son of a printer that's saying something), the methods employed by Murdoch and Andrew Neil were despicable. These were men who knew their skills were about to become historical footnotes and were clinging on to their jobs and futures. And "highest paid workers in the country" is deliberate erroneous hyperbole.

The take-it-or-leave-it approach and sackings of anyone opposed to the move to Wapping was one of the most cynical and self-serving moves in the history of journalism. The behaviour of the EETPU was disgraceful.

Something died in the media that day - it was a no-turning-back moment. An interesting tid-bit from the Grauniad this morning is that the new offices in Wapping didn't even have a library. Perhaps the desire for true research, facts and decent journalism was left behind on Fleet Street. The non-recognition of the NUJ by NewInt speaks volumes.