National Union of Journalists Malaysia

Dear members, particularly those in the bureaus,

We are coming! Yes, the NUJ-Star committee will be visiting you at your respective bureaus. Teams of four will be travelling nationwide to get to know you better. And perhaps hear you out if you have any queries and issues related to work or the workplace. At the same time, we will also engage your bosses - editors or bureau chiefs - as we believe an open line of communication will resolve most issues before they become problems. So yes, let them know we are coming too. We will also be writing to them to keep them posted, in case they want to arrange for kompang boys, dikir barat, lion dance and banana leaf lunch.

We kick off our “roadshow” with:
Kuching: Sept 30 - Oct 2
Ipoh: Oct 17
JB: Oct 20-21
Bukit Jelutong: Nov 2
Penang: Nov 3-4

For those in Menara Star, we will see you again after the trips. For tea. And some kuih. We’ll let you know when.

Sunday September 4, 2011 | The STAR

PETALING JAYA: Journalists must be provided with full protective gear such as bullet-proof helmets and vests when covering assignments in war-torn or conflict zones, said the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Its general secretary V. Anbalagan reminded media employers that they were responsible for the safety of their employees sent to these areas.

He also urged employers to take insurance policies that would cover the deaths or injuries of their employees.

“If they are not covered, employers should seriously reconsider whether to send them for such assignments,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Anbalagan said employers must also provide briefings on the dos and don’ts of covering events where their employees’ lives would be at risk.

“The NUJ has provided some guidance to its members on measures to be taken when they were assigned to cover the recent Bersih 2.0 rally,” he said.

He said NUJ would soon relase a safety guidebook for journalists who were assigned to cover natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, as well as social unrest – both locally and overseas.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), in a statement, said Malaysian authorities and organisers of such missions needed to clarify the protection measures undertaken for accompanying journalists.

The CIJ also said that journalists must be fully aware of the conditions and risks of their assignment besides having the right to decline such tasks if they think the safety measures are inadequate.

Joseph Sipalan | 3 Sep, 11 4:37pm | MALAYSIAKINI

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) today hit out at media companies, stressing that it is the latter’s responsibility to adequately prepare journalists before they are sent out to work in crisis areas.

Commenting on the recent shooting death of Bernama TV cameraperson Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, 39, in Somalia, the union said the safety of journalists out in the field must always be a priority, regardless of where they are posted or sent on assignment.

While conveying their condolences to Noramfaizul’s family, NUJ president Chin Sung Chew said the union “deeply regrets” his death and stressed that the incident impacts on the interests of all journalists in the country.

“… we urge the management of news (organisations) to always look out for the safety of their staff,” he said in a brief statement. Noramfaizul was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight between African Union peacekeeping troops and unidentified gunmen in the Somalian capital city of Mogadishu, where armed militia escorts are commonly hired for protection against kidnap attempts.

According to reports, he was sitting in a four-wheel-drive vehicle when two shots were fired during the incident, which happened at around 5.40pm local time or 10.40pm Malaysian. One bullet struck him, puncturing his lung while the other wounded TV3 journalist Aji Saregar Mazlan.

Noramfaizul (left) died from his wounds 30 minutes later while receiving treatment.

Journalists’ rights group Reporters Without Borders ranks Somalia as Africa’s deadliest country for media personnel, chalking up a total of 23 journalists killed while on assignment in the country since 2007.

It is not yet clear what exactly happened or whether or not journalists covering the humanitarian mission to Somalia organised by the Putra 1Malaysia Club were issued bulletproof vests and helmets, though sources claim that Noramfaizul was not wearing any protection at the time.

‘Journalists can say no’
NUJ general secretary V Anbalagan stressed that while journalists are contractually obliged to follow any “lawful instructions” by their employers, they are in a position to question, and if necessary turn down any assignment that they feel their safety and well being is at stake.

He said the onus still falls on the journalists to decide whether or not they want to accept potentially risky assignments, but it is also the employers’ responsibility to adequately prepare journalists with protective gear such as bulletproof vests and helmets and training.

Anbalagan, when contacted, pointed out that the NUJ has taken some measures to help guide its members on how to deal with potentially risky events, such as issuing a guidebook to members assigned to cover the recent Bersih 2.0 rally, which he described as a “social unrest event”.

He added that they will soon come up with a more comprehensive guidebook for journalists covering natural disasters and social unrest events, but emphasised the need for them to make informed decisions on whether or not to take on risky assignments.

“If you are assigned to cover court, then I think it’s safe to assume you won’t get shot, but if you are assigned to cover a demo or in this case, a crisis area, the reporter can question if there is adequate preparation such as bulletproof vests and helmets and insurance.

“If there is none, then the reporter can decide not to undertake the assignment because life is most important. If they are not able to get insurance for example, then it is the company that must shoulder the risk.

“The principle is that the company must prepare the reporter (for risky assignments) to protect their lives and safety and that they do not fall to bodily injury,” he said.

A little update on arrears. We have been informed that newly promoted execs will only be getting their arrears in September (2011). According to HR, the new execs are on a different payroll. Therefore company will settle with unionised members first before moving on to the execs.

Thanks!

PETALING JAYA: The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has given the thumbs up to the Government’s proposal to review its media censorship policy, saying it is a step in the right direction.

Its general secretary V. Anbalagan said media censorship could no longer work in an era where people could access news and issues of public importance via the Internet.

“If the traditional media like newspapers continue to practise censorship, they are doing a great disservice as the elected government of the day will be denied effective feedback,” he said.

On Monday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Government would review its current media censorship laws as the current method was no longer effective.

Centre for Independent Journalism executive officer Masjaliza Hamzah hoped the move would result in the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

Dear members,

The full copy of our new CA has been uploaded on this site. Do check it out!

Hi everyone,

Just to clarify on two allowances:

Sub editors allowance: subs will start receiving subs allowance in their July payslip. The subs allowance is effective date of signing (coz it is a new clause), which means the arrears they get is only the half month of June.

Book allowance: We are adjusting the period for claims from Sept - Aug, to Jan - Dec. This year is the transition period, so the new RM400 rate applies from Sept 2010 to Dec 2011. Next year, the RM400 applies from Jan 2012-Dec 2012.

And we now continue digging through the basket of goodies…

- Transport allowance
i) car: RM315 + 238 litres of petrol RON95 + RM150 (parking)
ii) motorcycle: RM160 + 145 litres of petrol RON95
iii) public transport: RM520 (from RM480)

mileage claims is up:
i) car - 55 sen per km
ii) motorcycle - 40 sen per km

and here’s something NEW! Graphic artists that have to travel for work reasons can claim a special mileage rate of 60sen/km (car) and 45sen/km (bike).

- Maternity leave is increased to 75 days for first child; the 60-day leave is maintained for subsequent children

- Racing correspondent allowance is RM750.

- Visual display terminal (spectacles/lenses)
i) first-time wearers: RM250 (from RM235)
ii) already bespectacled: RM145 (from RM135)

- Staff correspondence allowance - RM1,100

- Subsistence for:
i) Sabah/Sarawak - RM40 (under 10 hours)/RM80 (above 10 hours)
ii) Singapore - SGD40 (under 10 hours)/SGD80 (above 10 hours)
iii) peninsular Malaysia - see earlier posting

- Transfers
i) single employee - RM500 (from RM455)
ii) spouse - RM260 (from RM235)
iii) children above 7 years - RM260 (from RM235) per child
iv) children below 7 years - RM200 (from RM180) per child
*total amount payable not more than RM1,950 (from RM1,760)

- Retirement benefits (EPF)
i) continuous employment between 5 and 10 years - 17%
ii) continuous employment between 10 and 25 years - 19%
iii) continuous employment beyond 25 years - 20%

And that concludes the CA 2010-2013 highlights. We are in the process of getting the full copy in PDF format to put it up on this site.

Cheers,
eng hock

Greetings to all NUJ members 

You can start submitting claims according to the new CA beginning today (July 1). This would apply for assignments (mileage and subsistence) you covered from today. For assignments in June, please claim according to the old rates first (as the CA was signed in mid-June. Arrears will be paid for work done in June too)
 
Also, as we have switched to a new subsistence system — half-day replaced by 10-hour system, with those spending more than 10 hours away from base (including travel time) entitled to claim full-day (RM65) without having to spend the night — please include the time of departure and return to base, plus the duration you were away from base in your claims form.
 
New updates will be released from time to time.
 
Cheers!
enghock

Dear members,

I’m sure by now many of you are wondering about the new CA, since it was reported to be “one of the best deals” in our newspaper.

Before I divulge the details of our groundbreaking deal, allow me to guide you through the deal-making process.

The committee spent more than a year preparing for CA negotiations, which meant we started work in the last quarter of 2009. By Dec/Jan
2010, the new CA proposal had been submitted to HR.

We continued research and preparations while waiting for HR to respond. It took them a while, in all fairness, because the NUNW CA negotiations dragged on.

Finally, we started negotiations in November. Between Nov and June, we only met HR about 6-8 times before the deal was sealed. We could not progress as fast as we wanted due to work commitments, as well as festive holidays.

So although it dragged on in terms of time, the negotiation process was not as lengthy as it seemed. But you must keep in mind that the committee continued with research after working hours week after week. So our work was not just limited to the negotiation meetings.

The hard work has paid off, so do give the committee members a pat on their back the next time you run into them. Credit goes to them, although young and inexperienced, have remained selfless and committed to the cause.

And…*drumrolls* here are the details:

-Salary up 13%, across the board (including cadets)

-Salary scale has been converted to Salary Range. This allows your boss to give you half jumps during merit increments, while the annual increment stays at the mandatory one jump. In the past, your boss can give you a merit increment of zero, one, two or more jumps. There has been instances where he/she might have felt that you deserve more than one, but less than two. This could result in him recommending you one jump as he was not allowed to give 1.5 jumps. With the Salary Range, he can now award you 0.5, one, 1.5, two, 2.5, etc….

-Overtime went up by RM15 per shift, across the board. This is a landmark achievement as overtime rates usually go up an average of RM3 per CA in the past.

-Book allowance goes up to RM400, from RM260. This is another prominent increase, as the average increase previously was RM20 per CA.

-Sub-editors allowance. This is a new clause, and ALL unionised sub  get to pocket RM430 per month. I don’t have to tell you this is wonderful, do I?

-Subsistence: We are doing away with the half-day(RM25)/full-day(RM50) system. Instead, those who travel outstation for less than 10 hours will get RM33. Those who spend more than 10 hours outstation (including travelling time) will get RM65, even though he/she does not spend the night.

There is also a midnight cut-off period, i.e. you leave KL for Penang at 6pm, and checks in to hotel at 11pm. 6pm to 12midnight = six hours, so you claim RM33. Say you check out at 8am, drive back to KL and arrive at 12noon. 12midnight to 12noon = 12 hours, so you claim RM65.

-OC allowance: RM45 per day, but he/she can claim OT is deserving.

-Acting allowance: RM145 per day, with a maximum cap of RM1,500 per month (but cannot claim OT)

-Supplements: per word text = RM0.25sen, colour pix = RM23 each, pages (sub-editing) RM72/RM86

These are some of the highlights…I will continue with the updates later. So keep an eye on this page

On another note, I also have received many inquiries from execs, who were wondering if the same benefits would extend to them. I am unable to provide them with a definitive answer, because the benefits of the new CA does NOT automatically extend to execs. It would be goodwill on the company’s part to extend the great benefits to execs. So ultimately, yes, it is up to the discretion of the company.

Cheers!
enghock