Ex-`NOTW` Staffers Offered Jobs in Siberia, Dubai

Ex-`NOTW` Staffers Offered Jobs in Siberia, Dubai

Ex-'NOTW' Staffers Offered Jobs in
Siberia, Dubai
Most posts are non-editorial and abroad
By Emma Bazilian on July 28, 2011
When News of the World shut its doors [1] on July 10, former News International CEO
Rebekah Brooks promised its 283 now-unemployed staffers that many would be offered new
jobs within News Corp. But according to the Guardian, many ex-employees are
“underwhelmed” by the list of potential jobs [2]—if only because they don’t want to relocate
to Siberia. Literally.
According to the former News of the World staffers, who reportedly received lists of potential
jobs in one-on-one meetings, most are either non-editorial or require a move abroad to places
like Finland or Dubai. Listed posts included “symbology analyst—Russian language” for
Dow Jones and “material manager” for Fox in Siberia.
Other jobs in IT or commercial departments for companies like HarperCollins or Fox in the
U.S. also failed to impress the ex-staff, which includes 160 journalists. According to the
Guardian, only six jobs on the list are even comparable to what the journalists were doing at
the News of the World—three of them at The Sun and three of them at the News of the World's
Fabulous magazine, which is now being published with the Saturday edition of The Sun.
Meanwhile, Silverman Sherliker, the law firm hoping to launch a class action against the
News of the World, said it has been contacted by 40 former employees worried they’ll be
“stigmatized” due to their ties to the disgraced tabloid and so unable to find employment
elsewhere. The firm is hoping to prove that working for an organization can cause damage,
even when an individual isn’t guilty of wrongdoing.
Staff compensation action considered
By Jane Croft
A law firm has set up an action group for former News of the World staff to examine
whether they can take legal action against the newspaper.
Silverman Sherliker, a City of London firm, said on its website that it had taken the
step after being contacted by some of those who were losing their jobs because of the
decision to close the newspaper.
The firm is urging former staff to register with a view to investigating whether they
could bring a class action against News International for “stigma damages”, and any
long-term impact on their careers, from the Sunday newspaper’s continuing phonehacking scandal.
Stigma damages are a relatively new concept in English law which began with
litigation brought after the collapse of Bank of Credit and Commerce International.
Court rulings established the right of employees, in principle, to seek compensation
for the effect an employer’s reputation might have on their future employment
prospects.
Such claims arise where employees can show that their employer has breached the
duty of trust and confidence implied in their contracts of employment by running a
corrupt business.
“News of the World employees are ... distressed about the potential long-term career
damage that they may suffer by being ... unjustly tainted by the acts of others,”
Silverman Sherliker said.
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Silverman Sherliker prepares for potential NotW class action
8 July 2011 | By Caroline Butcher
City law firm Silverman Sherliker has launched a News of the World (NotW) action group for
employees of the axed tabloid with the aim of launching a class action against the newspaper.
News International Offices – Pictured left.
The firm has set up the action group on its website and is urging NotW employees
to register interest with a view to potentially launching a class action against News
International for ‘stigma damages’ and long-term impact on their careers following
the Sunday newspaper’s on-going phone-hacking scandal.
Silverman managing partner Chris Sherliker, who created the action group today
(8 July), said the firm was already liaising with a steering group of about 20 NotW
employees and expected the number could reach 100 by next week.
“The appetite for a class action has not yet been established. However the possibility of that action is going to
drive negotiations,” he said. “There’s certainly an intention [to launch legal action] by this firm if there’s an
insufficient support package offered to staff by News International.”
Sherliker and employment partner Nicholas Lakeland believe their sacked NotW clients could have a strong case
to claim compensation for stigma damages and career damage, reminiscent of the long-running BCCI litigation.
“These employees are going to have a difficult time finding other positions because News of the World’s
reputation has been fairly tainted,” Sherliker said.
The firm may also look at fairness of dismissal issues on behalf of the employees, and Sherliker said a lot would
rest on whether News International launches a replacement Sunday tabloid and what job prospects that might
present for NotW employees.
“If they’re closing the entire establishment I expect it would be a straightforward case of redundancies,” Sherliker
said. “But if the employees are transferred over to a new publication then I doubt anyone will sue.”
Christopher Sherliker – Pictured left.
A spokeswoman for the National Union of Journalists said the organisation was also
waiting to see what job prospects or redundancy packages were offered to NotW
employees before contemplating any legal action.
“Last night we condemned the offer of 90 days’ payment without consultation. This
is another example of News International and the Murdoch empire ignoring the law
–they’re not learning any lessons,” she said.
“At the moment we’re waiting to hear about the terms of the redundancies or whether employees will be
transferred to The Sun, or whether they’ll be sacked and made to reapply for jobs.”
The NUJ regularly instructs Thompsons Solicitors and Bindmans on legal matters.
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Sacked employees watch growing scandal with alarm
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Former News of the World
staff are watching with
alarm as Rupert Murdoch’s
media empire scrambles to
contain a hacking scandal
that has closed their
newspaper and could make
finding new employment
more difficult.
Some reporters at the
hugely popular paper say
their reputations may be
Media surround the vehicle transporting
harmed by association as
more cases of intrusive Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News
news gathering surface,
International, as she departs Rupert
both at News of the World
Murdoch’s flat in London yesterday
and other Murdoch titles.
“Now that the dust has settled, we are looking to our future and I think we have
all been a bit tarnished by this and we’re genuinely concerned about issues
going on elsewhere,” said a former employee, who asked not to be named.
“Two weeks ago, despite what has come out, having worked at News of the
World was a huge bonus (in getting new employment),” added the reporter, one
of around 200 to lose their jobs.
“We are now at a point where we are not going to get a job abroad, and in the
UK we may be able to, but it won’t be as easy as it was.”
The Sunday Times broadsheet and the Sun tabloid, also part of the Murdoch
stable, have been sucked into the scandal after the Guardian newspaper
reported yesterday that they had targeted Gordon Brown when he was finance
minister and prime minister.
The reporter said he and around 10 former News of the World workers were
meeting to discuss whether to seek legal advice before entering into
negotiations with News International.
Some have already contacted lawyers. The London legal practice Silverman
Sherliker invited the sacked journalists to sign up to an action group via its
website.
“News of the World employees are now not only acutely concerned for their
immediate future, but are also distressed about the potential long-term career
damage that may suffer by being, as they see it, unjustly tainted by the acts of
others,” the blog posting read. The firm did not return calls requesting more
information.
News International yesterday tried to allay some of the sacked workers’
concerns.
“NI can announce that it will offer employment opportunities to the vast majority
of staff who lost their jobs as a result of the closure of the News of the World,”
it said in a statement. It said personnel managers would meet staff from next
week.
It has identified 30 jobs across its titles including existing vacancies. The News
of the World’s supplement magazine “Fabulous”, employing 30 journalists, will
be kept.
Whether or not the company replaces News of the World with a new Sunday
title remains to be seen, although it has taken control of internet domain
names that suggest it could launch the Sun on Sunday, a weekly version of its
daily.
There are concerns, however, that a broader crisis within Murdoch’s News Corp
media empire could scotch that idea. Even if News International did start a new
Sunday tabloid, it would not be guaranteed to repeat the success of News of
the World, which sold around 2.7mn copies.
“We’re not guaranteed to get (those readers) back,” said David Wooding, the
former News of the World political editor who became an unofficial spokesman
for staff when the shock closure was announced on Thursday.
He, like many others, is waiting to hear about the terms of his severance, and
is weighing his options. An initial package has been offered, which exemployees say is open to negotiation.
“All sorts of people are in a difficult position,” Wooding said. “But I do believe
the company when they say they will take on as many people as they can. I
think a large number will get jobs in News International.”
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Gobierno británico intenta detener compra de
Murdoch
El Ejecutivo y la oposición se unen en moción para detener la adquisición de
BSkyB.
17:41 |
LONDRES.- El Gobierno británico unió esfuerzos para bloquear la oferta de Rupert Murdoch para comprar la cadena
BSkyB el martes, destruyendo su esperanza de una rápida expansión en televisión, mientras se extendía el escándalo por
las escuchas telefónicas de uno de sus diarios.
Al conseguir el apoyo de los principales partidos políticos del país, entre otros, el primer ministro David Cameron demostró
cómo un hombre temido y a la vez cortejado por la derecha y la izquierda puede encontrar obstáculos debido al escándalo
que estalló la semana pasada.
El opositor partido laborista, que ha intentado capitalizar los vínculos personales del líder conservador Cameron con
personajes clave del asunto, organizó una votación no vinculante en el parlamento para el miércoles.
Exigirá a Murdoch que retire la oferta de 14,000 millones de dólares de News Corp para comprar el 61% que le falta de
BSkyB, el principal grupo de televisión de pago del Reino Unido.
Una hora después, un portavoz del Gobierno dijo que también apoyaría la moción, creando un obstáculo político, si no
legislativo para la absorción.
El creciente escándalo hizo que la intención de compra fuera derivada al organismo que supervisa la competencia, lo que
significaría un retraso en el proceso de posiblemente un año.
Mientras tanto, el antiguo personal de News of the World ve con alarma cómo se tambalea el imperio de Murdoch por
intentar contener un escándalo que cerró el diario y que podría dificultarles encontrar trabajo en el futuro.
“Dos semanas atrás, pese a lo que se sabía, haber trabajado para News of the World era una gran ventaja (para obtener un
nuevo empleo)”, dijo un periodista del diario, del que fueron despedidas unas 200 personas.
“Ahora estamos en un momento en el que no conseguiremos un trabajo en el exterior, tal vez sí en Gran Bretaña pero no
será tan fácil como antes”, añadió.
Unos 10 trabajadores se reunirán el jueves para discutir si buscarán asesoría legal antes de negociar con News International,
el grupo británico de Murdoch. Algunos ya se han contactado con abogados y el bufete Silverman Sherliker invitó a los
periodistas despedidos a unirse a una acción conjunta a través de su web.
El martes, News International intentó despejar algunas de las preocupaciones de sus ex empleados. “NI puede anunciar hoy
que ofrecerá oportunidades de empleo a la gran mayoría de los trabajadores que perdieron su puesto como resultado del
cierre de News of the World”, dijo el grupo en un comunicado.
Añadió que sus gerentes de personal se reunirán la próxima semana con los empleados. El grupo identificó hasta 30 puestos
de trabajo entre todos sus títulos para cubrir.
REUTERS – 12/07/11
ETIQUETAS:
bskyb, murdoch, reino unido, rupert murdoch
National Post Today's Paper & Archive
Former Murdoch employees worried
reputations may be hurt by association
Former News of the World staff are watching with alarm as Rupert Murdoch's media
empire scrambles to contain a hacking scandal that has closed their newspaper and
could make finding new employment more difficult. Some reporters at the hugely
popular British paper say their reputations may be harmed by association as more
cases of intrusive news gathering surface, both at News of the World and other
Murdoch titles. "Now that the dust has settled, we are looking to our future and I
think we have all been a bit tarnished by this and we're genuinely concerned about
issues going on elsewhere," said one former employee. Some have already contacted
lawyers. The London legal practice Silverman Sherliker invited the sacked journalists
to sign up to an action group via its website.
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Dismissed News of the World
journalists may have grounds to sue
House of Lords case in 1997 set precedent for former employees
to claim compensation for stigma
Owen Bowcot t, Sam Jones and Ben Quinn
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 1 0 July 2 01 1 2 1 .58 BST
l ar ger | smal l er
News of the World staff leav e the New s International offices in Wapping after preparing the last edition of
the paper. Photograph: Tom Stoddart Archiv e/Getty Im ages
Journalists dismissed by the News of the World who are unable to find new jobs and fear
their professional reputations have been damaged by the phone hacking scandal could
have legal grounds for suing News International, according to employment specialists.
A 1997 House of Lords judgment offers a precedent that could help former employees
who claim they have suffered the "stigma" of being associated with an employer that put
them at a "serious disadvantage" in finding new work.
The judgment, Malik vs Bank of Credit and Commerce International, related to two
former workers of BCCI who had difficulties finding positions after the firm collapsed in
1991.
"The House of Lords upheld, in principle, the right of innocent ex-employees to sue a
former employer for common law damages where revelations concerning the employer's
corrupt practices had damaged their prospects of future employment in the industry,"
one employment expert suggested. "Corruption was assumed as a hypothesis for
purposes of the decision."
Silverman Sherliker, a City of London law firm, has been advertising its services to help
those who have lost their jobs, according to the Financial Times.
"News of the World employees are... distressed about the potential long-term career
damage that they may suffer by being... unjustly tainted by the acts of others,"
Silverman Sherliker said.
Such actions are rare, but the House of Lords precedent established that, in principle,
employees have the right to seek compensation.
Loss of reputation, the 1997 judgment pointed out, is "inherently difficult to prove" but
there was an implied mutual obligation of trust and confidence between employer and
employee.
"Difficulties of proof cannot alter the legal principles which permit, in appropriate cases,
such claims for financial loss caused by breach of contract being put forward for
consideration," the House of Lords judgment concluded.
The prospect of such claims may encourage Rupert Murdoch's empire to think hard
about how many former News of the World staff it wishes to re-employ.
There was speculation on Twitter over the weekend that at least one former member of
the News of the World staff was using the microblogging site to launch a vendetta against
News International.
The tweeter, using the name ExNOTWJournalist, described themselves as "Journalist
w/NOTW last 3 years. Fired, alongside some very good decent people, when NOTW
axed to save the skin of Rebekah Brooks! Will no longer be silent!"
ExNOTWJournalist, who attracted more than 20,000 followers after reportedly
threatening to release damning new information about News International in a series of
documents online, eventually decided not to go through with their apparent revenge.
Despite a tweet on Saturday night which read: "Here's the situation. x-Notw journalists
+friends going to release Blog on Sat night. Inside story of NOTW. Stories we weren't
able to tell," the plan was dropped, apparently following legal advice.
By 10am on Sunday, all but three of ExNOTWJournalist's tweets had been deleted and
just two followers remained.
Some former members of staff may not be short of job offers: the paper's respected
political team and investigative reporter Mazher Mahmood, aka the Fake Sheikh –
whose regular stings against figures in the world of sport and celebrity were a staple in
the News of the World – could find himself the subject of stealthy approaches from his
former rivals.
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