"There were a lot of people who said it had absolutely no chance, that we would never pull it off, but we're within touching distance of proving those people wrong," said BPIF past president Ken Iddon.

Both the BPIF national council and Amicus GPMS committee have now thrashed out the final version of the intiative, with "minimal rewording" of the draft agreement. The final hurdle is a ballot of Amicus GPMS members, which will be held in late September.

The union is "strongly recommending" a yes vote and assistant general secretary Tony Burke is "optimistic" of a favourable outcome. He is currently attending meetings with regional reps to
discuss the key benefits of the agreement.

"In the main it's about the ability for us not to sit down just once a year with the employers to talk about the National Agreement but for this to be an ongoing discussion," he said.

"To look at how the industry is changing and evolving and then adapt through negotiation, reflecting changes in technological, economic and social issues."

This was echoed by Iddon, who will continue his involvement with agreement on behalf of the BPIF: "It's not cast in stone, it's something that will evolve and develop over the coming years."

Assuming the vote goes through, the agreement will be officially launched on the the 26 November, at the DTI Conference Centre and at reception after the All Party Parliamentary Print Group meeting on the House of Commons Terrace.

Story by Darryl Danielli