New job cuts at Trinity Mirror in Newcastle prompts NUJ to call for talks at board level

Staff are said to be shocked by the news that seven more journalists posts are to be made redundant by Trinity Mirror at the Newcastle Chronicle and Journal.

According to the NUJ, the company are proposing to axe two multi-media journalists (reporters), 1 specialist correspondent role, 1 photographer, 1 multi-media desk editor (sub editor) and two chief desk editors. It says the the company claimed the reasons for the cuts are because “revenues continue to be lower than expected”.

Eight other newsroom jobs were cut earlier this year. The company has given until Monday 22 August for volunteers to come forward and want to end the process by Monday 12 September.

Chris Morley, NUJ Northern & Midlands organiser said: “The hurried announcement of further job cuts at Newcastle, so soon after an earlier, painful round of redundancies, suggests something of a panic by Trinity Mirror."

Trinity Mirror announced today it was increasing it structural cost savings target for this year from £15m to £25 million.

UPDATE: The NUJ is calling for urgent talks with the board of Trinity Mirror.

Martin Shipton, NUJ FoC at Trinity Mirror, said: "The level of cuts being imposed across the group is extremely likely to damage the quality of its newspapers at a time when consumers are thinking seriously about how to spend their money.

"We realise that advertising revenue has been badly hit by the economic conditions in Britain, but current decisions have an element of panic about them. We are concerned that deep cuts of the kind already being imposed at Trinity Mirror centres like Cardiff and Newcastle will contribute to a downward spiral.

"We are aware that the group has a high level of debts and that the board is seeking to reduce the level of borrowing. We fear it may be cutting too far, too quickly. Decisions are being taken at corporate headquarters in Canary Wharf that affect our members' livelihoods and the newspapers we work for.

“Telling us simply to talk to our local managements is wholly inadequate when local managers have no discretion over the scale of the cuts they are expected to impose. The time has surely come when the board should discuss the group's future strategy with the NUJ at a national level."