Actions planned for saving jobs
MORE THAN 800 journalists across Britain and Ireland are gearing up for industrial action to oppose job cuts and defend quality journalism. From Derry to Surrey, NUJ members are holding the ballots required by law to authorise industrial action.
Journalists at Yorkshire newspapers have led the way and colleagues at Newsquest York began their campaign when 30 members took part in two lunchtime work stoppages, giving notice of more as part of their campaign against job cuts.
At the Derry Journal the NUJ chapel is voting in a ballot for industrial action because the transfer of subbing to Portadown threatens seven jobs in Derry.
At Yattenden-owned Staffordshire Newspapers, and their neighbours at Midlands News Association-owned Shropshire Newspapers, around 60 journalists have given notice of ballots to stop compulsory redundancies and cutbacks to papers.
At Reed Business Information — based at Sutton in Surrey and central London — hundreds of magazine journalists are voting in a ballot for strike action over compulsory redundancies and the merging of production desks on titles covering different subject specialties.
At the Independent and Independent on Sunday in London 200 NUJ members are being balloted after management pushed on with cuts, refusing to accept all the volunteers for redundancy in the editorial department.
And at the Financial Times a chapel meeting attended by more than 130 members also voted to ballot. Management at the Pearson-owned paper has already made cuts and wants to axe two more jobs.