Newspapers have been fuming about bankers getting bonuses. Now the NUJ has turned the tables, urging some Northcliffe editorial executives and directors to surrender their company cars and waive bonuses to save jobs.
The union says that the Staffordshire division of Northcliffe has confirmed that five photographers are facing redundancy and cuts are being considered in other departments.
NUJ northern organiser Chris Morley said: "Staffordshire Sentinel News & Media is being exceedingly secretive about its job cutting at Stoke but we do know that this has been an extremely profitable newspaper publisher in the most recent past.
"It has been continually cutting the workforce over recent years and now we know that they want to slash a third of its photographic staff. I can't believe any editor would willingly seek to do this so as a formal proposal, the NUJ has suggested that directors should waive any personal bonus they might be in line for this year to get over these exceptional times with the fewest editorial casualties.
“I have also put forward that senior editorial staff should give up their company cars for the same reason - including the editor and his BMW."
According to the NUJ, the company accounts for 2007 show that Northcliffe made an operating profit in Staffordshire of £5.8 million over 14 months.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
Northcliffe has a fine track record of listening to the union (!) so it'll be interesting to see how the bosses respond.
While we wait, I'll remind anyone who thinks Chris's proposal is even vaguely close to sensible, about this public meeting on media ownership Tuesday 17 November:
NUJ Left public meeting:
Media ownership: on whose terms, in whose interests?
7pm - 9pm, Tuesday 17 February 2009
London Welsh Centre, Gray’s Inn Rd
Speakers:
- Ex-Mirror editor and Guardian media blogger Roy Greenslade, on where next for publishing?
- Former BBC industrial and political correspondent Nick Jones, on cross-media ownership and press freedom
- BBC worker and NUJ activist Becky Branford in a personal capacity, on working in public service media
- Socialist Party industrial organiser and NUJ member Jane James, on nationalisation and state aid
Chair: Pete Murray, NUJ vice president.
All welcome. Join the debate.
See you there.
Thanks for the commment Rich.
You mean Tuesday February 17 not Novemeber I think.
Meeting sounds interesting. I will give it a mention on the blog and try and get there.
Ooh, weird, not sure how that happened (show it to Greenslade - proves we need subs, even online!). Thanks for the plug anyway. Much appreciated.
Post a Comment