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Arena Magazine 2004 Issue 6 |
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Media watch
Puzzled commuters making their way to work in central London probably thought their eyes were deceiving them, but they really did see ten Santas standing outside the House of Commons in mid-October.
Usdaw's long-running Protect Christmas Day crusade ended in victory when MPs passed a bill that now bans big stores in England and Wales opening on any future December 25.
For publicity photos, ten Usdaw members and officials donned Santa outfits. Their efforts encouraged photographers and film crews from the likes of the Daily Express and Channel 4 News to cover the story.
Meanwhile, in September, Usdaw moved quickly to issue press statements when Northern Foods announced plans to close two factories , one in Carlisle, Cumbria, and the other in Evesham, Worcestershire. Quotes from Usdaw officials featured in The Guardian, The Independent, The Times and Daily Express, and regional media such as the Carlisle News & Star, Evesham Journal and the Evening News (Worcester).
And in the same month, when Coca-Cola said it wanted to shut its two Irish factories the views of Usdaw, as detailed in a press release sent to regional media, made the pages of several newspapers locally including The Newsletter and The Irish News.
Usdaw's Freedom From Fear campaign, which highlights the problem of violence, threats and abuse suffered by shopworkers, and campaigns for greater safety in the retail workplace, remains a popular media topic.
In the last few months alone, large features have been published by lots of regional newspapers, including the South Wales Evening Post, Belfast Telegraph, Daily Echo (Bournemouth), Lancashire Evening Post, Sunderland Echo, Gloucestershire Echo and Western Mail.
Both the Labour Party Conference and TUC Congress provided scope for media interest in several key Usdaw areas, with Usdaw quotes being published by the press on matters as diverse as agency workers, minimum wage levels and employers' attitudes to pregnant workers.
- All Usdaw press releases are available at our online Newsroom.
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