THE EMPLOYERS OFFENSIVE IN THE PROVINCIAL NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY

This paper examines the widespread moves made by the employers in the provincial newspaper industry since 1987 to derecognize the National U nion of Journalists. Based on personal structured interviews with NUJ lay and full-time officials, and editors and managers, it looks at the extent of the changes and the methods of introducing derecognition. T his and several other indicators are used to argue that the employers' actions can be characterized as a strategic of offensive. Finally the paper examines the reasons for the employers' offensive, disputing in part the arguments of other researchers in their explanation of the e mployers' reasons for derecognition.