As reported by the National Union of Journalists: Staff on titles in Newcastle, including the Journal and Chronicle, and North Wales, including the Daily Post, will hold two-hour disruptive mandatory chapel meetings today (Thursday, 28 July) and titles on Merseyside titles, including the Liverpool Echo, will take similar action tomorrow.
A statement from the Newcastle and North Wales chapels said: "Members of the NUJ chapels at Trinity Mirror's centres in North Wales and Newcastle are taking industrial action today, prompted by concerns arising from recent changes in our newsrooms. Recent redundancies in Newcastle and the failure to fill vacant positions at both centres have resulted in increased workloads and pressure piled on existing staff, which in turn has an impact on the quality of the journalism we produce.
"In the North East, the cuts have resulted in a number of highly experienced, respected and talented members of staff leaving the business. Their skills and expertise have been lost from our industry forever.
"These changes, coupled with the fact that we are now all working in a figures-driven environment, are having an impact on our ability to produce the high standards of journalism our newspapers and websites are known for, and our ability to serve our readers and communities.
"The decision to take industrial action is not one that is taken lightly by the loyal, committed and highly motivated journalists that make up these chapels, but it is a decision our members feel necessary given the growing concerns about the future of our newsrooms."
Chris Morley, Northern & Midlands organiser, said: “Continual reorganisations that create uncertainty and instability by targeting chapel members for redundancy leaving them worried about workload and quality are having a deeply corrosive impact. This action is a meant as strong message to the company which is pushing through a strategy that is simply not taking our members with them.
"The roadside is littered with casualties and the plans are still not at the stated destination of revenue generation – or anywhere near it. Our members need to see that they are being respected and the demands placed upon them are reasonable. We hope the company will be serious in matching managers’ words about seeking a constructive way forward with finding real solutions to members’ well-founded concerns.”
MPs have signed an early day motion saying they "deplored the announcement from Trinity Mirror that it will be scrapping eight jobs at the North Wales newspaper, the Daily Post, including its only reporter based at the National Assembly for Wales". Trinity Mirror North Wales publishes the award-winning Daily Post, North Wales Weekly News, Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald, Flintshire Chronicle and Holyhead and Bangor Anglesey Mails.
