BPIF chief Johnson 'will deliver' with forum bid

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29 August 2002

BPIF chief executive Michael Johnson says he will be judged on his success in driving through proposals for the Print Industry Forum.

“The message is: I will deliver,” said Johnson, who has failed to gain the support of the GPMU because of the BPIF’s refusal to recommend a statutory training levy (PrintWeek, 16 and 23 August).

“There’s no stalemate with the GPMU,” added Johnson. “They have not contributed to the [forum bid] document unlike the 50-odd companies that have.

“In the next few weeks, we will know the outcome. I’ve even got the dummy [forum] board meeting on 2 October. It’s the big guns of the industry that will be shaping the future of the industry. I am doing this for the industry, not the BPIF.”

Johnson said the BPIF would not have embarked on its forum bid if it didn’t think it had a chance of gaining approval from the DTI. “The fundamentals are there,” he added.

Adare, Jarrolds, Quebecor and Polestar are just a few of the major companies supporting the forum bid, while industry backing has come from Pira, Picon and the BAPC among others.

Story by Gordon Carson