NATIONAL UNION of Journalists (NUJ) members are organising against
devastating cuts and job losses. Trinity Mirror intends to cut 750 jobs
nationally across all the group’s departments, particularly in the
Midlands, Wales, London and Scotland. NUJ members at Trinity Mirror
vowed to fight any compulsory redundancies with a ballot for industrial
action.
Molly Cooper, NUJ NEC
The Daily Mail and General Trust recently put its Northcliffe
regional media titles up for sale. The company, which made £100 million
profit last year, has an "Aim Higher" cost saving programme, and wants
annual savings of at least £30 million a year by 2007. It clearly aims
at getting a good price for shareholders at the sell-off.
At least 47 journalists’ jobs are being cut in Bristol and Plymouth.
NUJ members at the Northcliffe-owned Bristol Evening Post and Western
Daily Press held a protest on 6 December against cuts and job losses.
The union is balloting its members for strike action. Around 130
journalists working for Northcliffe in Wales are to be balloted on
strike action after the company imposed compulsory redundancies.
NUJ members protested outside Guardian Media Group (GMG) offices in
London in solidarity with Manchester listings magazine, City Life,
formerly a workers’ co-operative which GMG closed, axing all the paper’s
staff.
GMG’s chief executive said recently: "We are in the ad business and
have been kidding ourselves for years that we’re in the newspaper
business." Media companies blame "challenging economic conditions" and
claim advertising revenues are down. But you don’t get good journalism
by cutting your greatest asset, the journalists who produce the news.
The NUJ are considering protests outside Northcliffe and Trinity
Mirror headquarters in London. The union should now organise a national
demonstration against job cuts across the media industry.
To protest at the job cuts write to: Michael Pelosi, Managing
Director, Northcliffe Newspapers Group Ltd, 31-32 John St, London WC1N
2QB, or email
Express your support for the journalists by emailing [email protected]
