A handful of us – in the name of the IFJ and the NUJ – mounted a protest in support of our colleagues in Egypt who were at the time taking strike action in the BBC’s Cairo newsroom. It is a large bureau, where more than 100 journalists, most of them locally-recruited, provide coverage, predominantly for the BBC’s Arabic output. In Egypt, the past year has been one of dramatic economic volatility. Official inflation is close to 40 per cent, and actual inflation for many has topped 100 per cent. The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate (EJS), that represents the staff in that newsroom, aimed to persuade BBC managers to reflect these price changes in their pay packets.
Our ambition, as we assembled outside the BBC’s London headquarters, was to show our colleagues in Cairo that they had friends and supporters where the decisions were being made. We also wanted BBC management to know that their actions in the eastern Mediterranean were perfectly well understood by their London staff.
So, blessed by sunshine, we stood and handed out leaflets as the early-morning starters came to work at New Broadcasting House.
Trade union solidarity work takes many forms – creating coalitions to bid for funding, advocacy in international bodies delivering training and intervening in legislative processes among them. Standing outside a workplace trying to attract attention and change minds, however, has a primordial quality all of its own.
Catching attention, talking and persuading are all necessary. Misinformation about our colleagues in Cairo had already spread among some in London. We had to be on top of the facts to steer the sceptics.
In all of this, Aine Gallagher, chair of the NUJ’s BBC World Service Branch, proved the master. Hundreds streamed past us into the Corporation’s offices, and there seemed to be few that she didn’t know personally. As Director General Tim Davie arrived for work, she stopped him too, and managed a few courteous words of persuasion.
Of course we Tweeted about our protest, and were delighted to see our EJS colleagues enthusiastically sharing our pictures.
That day was by no means the end of the strike, and tough negotiations followed. The dispute is now settled, however, with results that look enormously encouraging. The salaries of journalists and other workers in the Cairo office will increase at a rate that reflects the changing costs – and benefits the lower paid more. Night-shirt allowances will be dramatically enhances, and a transport allowance introduced, along with a raft of other improved conditions. The settlement will be reviewed in December in the light of the fast-changing economic conditions.
Was our protests material to loosening the strings on the BBC’s purse? It is impossible to say. What is certain, however, is that the sight of friendly strangers taking a moment to understand your struggle and devoting a little time out in their day to show support, always raises spirits, boosts morale, and stiffens resolve.
Contributing to such a victory, however slightly, is reward itself, unleashing a powerful sense of agency. When workers stand together we can shape the world for the better. To do that, however, we have to occasionally look beyond self-interest and act for the common good. It is a privilege, every now and then, to see the direct results of having done so.
The icing on the cake is that the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate is now in the late stages of becoming an affiliate of the IFJ. Its application will be considered at the next meeting of the Executive, with a strong recommendation to accept. It is the largest and most effective of the Arab unions, and a very welcome addition to our international movement. Their coming fully on board brings with it the promise that there is plenty more transformative alchemy to come.
Tim Dawson is the Deputy General Secretary of the IFJ