The NUJ, by contrast, has organisational machinery to prevent such obstruction. It often tells the NEC to rethink. It means volunteer, elected officers giving up their time to work for the union. These include Broadcasting, Magazines and Books, National Newspapers and Agencies - and, because freelances have specific concerns and may work in several sectors, Freelance Industrial Council. FIC is responsible for the union's activities for freelances in England and Wales.
Councils can tell union officials how to conduct their work for their sector.
This union also directly elects its top two full-time officials, the General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary. Union democracy starts, though, in Branch meetings. Tim noted London Freelance Branch successes in making union policy. Another motion proposed at the meeting called for action to reinforce the working of the Press Card. The fact that the NUJ has a press card at all is due to the actions of LFB a decade and more ago.