The Telegraph strike vote figures, as revealed by Stephen Brook, must be very dispiriting for the National Union of Journalists. To recap, of 465 editorial staff, the NUJ claims 246 members. Yet, of that 246, only 114 took the trouble to vote. Given that 76% voted in favour of industrial action, it means that just 85 people - a mere 18% of the Telegraph's total journalistic staff - voted to walk out.
My understanding is that, despite the low turn-out, the NUJ chapel will still aim to call a strike and trigger what's known as the 12-week protection period. During that time there will doubtless be an attempt by the union to build support for action among the staff while the management, presumably, will do all it can to convince people of the wisdom of engaging with the digital age.
My soundings suggest that there is a lot of genuine unhappiness, as some commenters to my previous posting on the matter make all too clear. Yet there isn't much enthusiasm for industrial action either. I'd guess that some people would rather quit, as the wonderful Susannah Herbert did last week. That said, my hunch is that, as people get used to the new working practices and shift patterns, the overwhelming majority will work on.
