Thursday 22 October 2009

Brum and Coventry journalists in action vote

NUJ journalists in Birmingham and Coventry have voted to ballot for industrial action over plans to cut 40 editorial jobs at Trinity Mirror’s Midlands operation.
The Coventry NUJ chapel is balloting over plans to cut jobs on weekly titles and introduce a new system for filing copy – which it claims eliminates sub editors.
The Birmingham chapel is balloting in a bid to prevent compulsory redundancies.
A statement from the Coventry Newspapers NUJ chapel committee said: "These proposed changes mean an effective 60 per cent cut in staff performing traditional subbing and/or news desk responsibilities for the Coventry Telegraph, with much of their role passed down to a hard working reporting team already trimmed to the bone. This chapel feels the changes, entirely driven by short-term economics, are unworkable and would result in unacceptable workloads."
The NUJ chapel committee in Birmingham has accused Trinity of entering the consultation over the proposals to take the Birmingham Post weekly and switch the Birmingham Mail to overnight printing "in bad faith".
The chapel has issued a lengthy statement which you read on the NUJ website here.
Meanwhile, a group of MPs has put down an Early Day Motion opposing the changes in Birmingham and calling for a meeting with Trinity.

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