Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales has introduced a new ruling requiring some staff columnists to write their columns within their normal working hours. Hitherto staff were paid additional sums for their columns which were originally intended to be written out of work hours.
The new initiative has been predicated on the company's decision to review its overall freelance budget of which it is understood that additional staff costs for columns were a significant part. Freelance columnists such as Jim Hancock are believed to be unaffected by the review.
Trinity Mirror's regional division includes the daily papers the Post and the Echo and the Huddersfield Daily Examiner together with a large number of weeklies, frees, websites and increasingly book publishing.
Arguably the best-known column to have gone is the Countryside column which was written by John Dempsey. Others include the restaurant column and most controversially the gay ‘Out and About’ column in the Echo is believed to have been the subject of a review. A Facebook community has even been created on Merseyside to drum up support for the column.
A TM spokesperson was adamant though that discussions with the majority of staffers involved have been harmonious and that most of the writers will continue to produce their columns as part of their working day.
The spokesperson added that: "Like all companies we are looking closely at costs in the light of the general economic climate.
"This prudent approach includes a review of content which will result in a reduction in freelance contributions.
"As some individual discussions are still being held with the individuals concerned, it would be inappropriate at this stage to go into any further detail."
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