File 2 - House agreement negotiations 1973-1978

3 files

Records relating to the negotation of agreements between the Observer chapel of the NUJ and the newspaper's management. Key correspondents include: Roger Harrison, Tristan Jones, KP Obank, Clive Bradley and & representatives of the Observer NUJ chapel.

• File 1 (1973-1974 but with copies of documents from 1963-1973) contains records chiefly relating to non-regular agreements for artists and photographers, relating particularly to holiday pay, and the Sunday paper rate for freelancers (1974) and negotiation of the 1974-5 Observer Saturday agreement (includes unsigned, annotated copies of the agreement).

Includes annotated extracts from the NPA handbook on both subjects; earlier contracts for photographers: Jane Bown (unsigned drafts 1964-67); Anthony McGrath (signed photocopy, April 1968) and David Newell-Smith (unsigned, July 1968) and correspondence relating to other photographers and artists, including: Chris Smith, Tony Huggett, David Ace and John Butterworth.

• File 2 (1974-1975) Includes multiple annotated NUJ and Observer drafts of the 1973-4 house agreement, a signed photocopy of the final agreement and correspondence relating to four day week discussions, unqualified journalists and the use of reporters' photographs in the paper. Also includes a signed photocopy of the 1972-3 agreement.

• File 3 (1974-1978) contains copies (non-original) of the following agreements for the following years:

Observer Saturday agreement:1974-5 (photocopy); 1975 (unsigned draft for for period April - Dec); 1976-77 (unsigned draft); 1977-78 (signed copy and unsigned draft);
Observer Freelance agreement: 1977-78 (signed copy and unsigned draft);
Observer House agreement: 1974-5 (photocopy); 1975 (unsigned draft for for period April - Dec); 1976-77 (unsigned drafts);1977-78 (signed copy and unsigned draft);

Also includes correspondence relating to the release of 1973 accounts to the chapel; the proposed deferral of negotiations in line with national NUJ negotiations; a memo on outside work; a bid to backdate the April 1975 pay award and an annotated copy of a national NUJ claim for the revison of NPA staff agreement (1976).

Creator: The Observer Limited; Managing Director's Office; Roger Harrison

Restricted in line with the Data Protection Act.