Subs go up in March

On 1 March 2010 NUJ subs will go up slightly. For Continental Europe members this means:

FULL MEMBERSHIP €206,16 (formerly €202) a year TEMPORARY MEMBERSHIP €68,72 (formerly €67,33 a year) If you pay in Sterling you’ll be paying FULL MEMBERSHIP £154.16 (formerly £150) TEMPORARY MEMBERSHIP £51.39 (formerly £50)

Reduced subscription rules still stand – no-one should pay more than 1% of their gross salary, or 0.5% if income is less than £13,600. Remember that you must send back the reduced contributions form by 31 March for this to take effect for the entire year.

The decision was taken by lay delegates to the NUJ’s annual conference last November and is the first subs increase for two years.

“Nobody likes an increase in subscriptions,” said general secretary Jeremy Dear, “but this small increase is unavoidable if we are to keep the union financially healthy. We’ve worked hard to reduce running costs, and our staff volunteered to seek no pay rise as a much-appreciated contribution to the secure running of the NUJ, so it can continue to help and support those fighting for jobs, defending their terms and conditions and advancing journalistic standards.

“The union is fully aware of the pressures on everyone’s finances at the moment but NUJ subscriptions still represent tremendous value for money: last year the union secured more than £3m for staff and freelance members who were unfairly treated at work, saved jobs, and secured improved redundancy terms. And it remains true that in unionised workplaces workers earn 12.5 per cent more than in non-unionised workplaces.”