War is brewing in the North West between the NUJ and media owners, as the union promises protests and industrial action in face of cuts.
Media owners that the NUJ believes are guilty of “grand larceny and reckless cost-cutting” are being promised that they won’t be able to impose the large-scale job cuts they’ve announced without a fight.
Newsquest Bolton and Bury and Trinity Mirror Liverpool in particular have been told to brace themselves for “a wave of protests and industrial action in the coming weeks.”
The NUJ claims that this culling of staff will “damage quality, significantly increase hours and workloads, and threaten the health and welfare of journalists” and is being carried out by groups that are still operating profitably.
Union general secretary Jeremy Dear declared in a statement: “Instead of greater investment in quality online content, more localised coverage and strengthened editorial teams, for years the vast profits of local newspapers have been largely shovelled into shareholders’ pockets, directors’ pay rises and executive pension pots, amidst reckless borrowing and poor investment decisions.
“Now the very people who plunged the industry into this crisis by demanding such excessive profits believe the solution is to axe journalists and freeze pay.
“They were spectacularly wrong in the past and are spectacularly wrong again.”
He continued: “It is a false economy to put the ability to deliver scoops, quality content and strong local coverage in jeopardy.
“Local newspapers in print and online remain viable and profitable businesses. We can’t stand by and see this profiteering destroy our industry.”
The NUJ’s reaction is being co-ordinated across newspaper groups - with Johnston Press, Trinity Mirror and Newsquest leading the way – and will see industrial action against compulsory redundancies, a union wide day of action against job cuts and pay freezes and the creation of community based ‘Stand up for Journalism’.
Political parties and national assemblies will also be lobbied to take action to ‘back the fight to stop job cuts and save local media’.
NUJ figures show that more than 500 journalists posts have been axed or left unfilled at local newspaper groups since June. In addition more than 30 local newspaper offices have been closed responsible for over 50 separate titles.
A first for the North West - How-Do's Top 100 Marketers. These leading professionals help drive the creation and generation of prosperity in the region. READ
The North West’s media folk who in 2008 wield the greatest combination of influence, power and employment, primarily in the region but also, in many cases, well beyond. READ
The second year of the Top 100 Brands initiative - in association with Hill Dickinson, the CBI and the CIM - enjoyed a record number of votes from North West businesses and saw the Co-op sweep the board READ
The How-Do poll
Latest comments
Loggedoff: I think you are both right but Linda has a point. Crains it could do with a...
READ
Mr Sock: I think that your target audience is different to Crain's. OK other busines...
READ
Digit AL: Whoaaa...hold on there....“Parties that are interested in the licence…….hav...
READ
Linda: Why, Mr Sock, of course we do! I think I was probably trying to say it need...
READ
Peeved Off: Yeah fantastic news! Spare a thought for all those companies Lightmaker Man...
READ
Mr Sock: Whoa! Whats with all the PushOn stuff of late? And they get anchor text in ...
READ
Comments (7)
