National Union of Journalists Malaysia

Deadline: February 5, 2010 (Friday)
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Greetings from The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) in Hong Kong. We would like to take pleasure in inviting members of the “The National Union of Journalists Malaysia” to take part in the “SOPA 2010 Awards for Editorial Excellence”.
 
SOPA is a 28-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to promoting best industry practices and facilitating a conducive environment for professional publishing. It represents the interests of international, regional and local publishers in newspapers, magazines and new media in Asia, with a view to fostering better cooperation and understanding among members.
 
Established in 1999, the annual “SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence” aim to encourage outstanding editorial achievements in newspapers, magazines, newswires and websites. Entries can be in either English or Chinese. In 2009 we received a record 547 entries from across the Asia Pacific region, with 89 winning prizes awarded at a gala dinner in Hong Kong in June.
 
Judging will be conducted by more than 80 international judges under the leadership of Head of Judges, Professor Rusty Todd, Director of Business Journalism at the University of Hong Kong. Judges comprise journalists, designers and photo editors from leading newspapers and magazines, as well as notable academics from the media departments of prestigious universities.
 
The SOPA Awards are now open for nominations (closing date: Friday, February 5, 2010). Details of the awards such as rules and award categories are available at: http://www.sopasia.com/awards/2010/
 
Please find enclosed the SOPA Awards eDM, press release, rules and entry form for reference. We’d appreciate it if you could help relay the SOPA Awards information to your members and affiliates (please feel free to forward the attached eDM or put it on your website) so they can consider sending in their quality journalistic work and demonstrate their editorial talent in front of the regional audience.
 
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Many thanks and look forward to receiving entries from you.
 
 
Best regards,
Lavinia Chan
SOPA Secretariat

2608-2610, Island Place Tower
510 King’s Road
North Point
Hong Kong
 
Tel: (852) 2572 2100
Fax: (852) 2572 2113
Website: www.sopasia.com

Following the KPI Forum held on October 13, 2009, NUJ-Star wrote a letter to Star Publications executive deputy chairman Datuk Clement Hii, who initiated the implementation of the KPI by engaging consultants to draw up a performance appraisal system for company employees. Also included with this letter, were documents listing the concerns and the generally negative comments from NUJ members, as well as an assessment made by an independent management consultant.

The letter, dated October 30, was also circulated to Group CEO/MD Datin Linda Ngiam, Group Editor-in-Chief Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, Managing Editor David Yeoh and HR manager Henry Asokan, Compensation & Benefits manager Terence Raj and Industrial Relations manager M. Anand.

Subsequently, HR manager Henry Asokan responded with a letter dated Nov 25, which I picked up after I returned from vacation in December. I regret that it’s taken me a while to get this letter uploaded as the other committee members and myself have been busy with preparing the proposal for the upcoming Contractual Agreement negotiations - you will understand that the CA naturally had to be prioritized, given that it is due to expire at the end of this month and our future salaries are contingent upon it.

I am currently in the midst of drafting a response to Management’s reply on the KPI issue and would welcome any additional feedback which members may wish to convey to Management. Please contact your union representative with your response or any concerns about the KPI which may not have been previously expressed. Please also feel free to contact me directly at tracy.toh@gmail.com. Again, confidentiality is completely assured.

I take this opportunity to wish all NUJ members all the best for 2010 and to thank you for your continued support of NUJ-Star.

-Tracy Toh