Ferret sniffs out union deal
The NUJ has signed a recognition agreement with the Scottish investigative journalist media co-operative, The Ferret.
The Ferret’s Rachel Hamada and Alastair Brian and the NUJ’s John Toner said they were delighted to be signing the union recognition deal.
Alastair Brain, father of The Ferret’s NUJ chapel, said:
“Our journalists promote transparency and hold power to account, so it is important to be able to collectively support workers on the website.”
The chapel believes the agreement offers a unique opportunity to ensure that The Ferret’s innovative model, offering a greater role for readers and the wider community can also ensure better conditions for its staff, as well as standing up for the right to trade union membership and activism.
Rachel Hamada, co-chair of The Ferret said:
“The Ferret is a co-operative with places reserved for journalists and readers on the board. We were founded with a mission to ensure investigative journalism is resourced properly. We want The Ferret to be a great organisation to work with for everyone and so we are delighted to recognise the Ferret chapel of the NUJ and welcome their support.”
John Toner, national organiser for Scotland at the National Union of Journalists, said:
“We are delighted that The Ferret has agreed to recognise the NUJ for the purposes of collective bargaining. All staff are freelance, and it is very rare, possibly unique, to achieve a recognition agreement that covers solely freelance workers. We appreciate the constructive approach taken by The Ferret board, and we wish all companies were so progressive in their dealings with the NUJ.”
The Ferret’s website describes itself as independently regulated and nonpartisan, which will “keep nosing up the trousers of power” and cover important issues the mainstream media often misses.