Scottish titles vote for industrial action

According to the NUJ, two separate ballots have been held: one for the members at Scotsman Publications; and another for those employed at the company’s Scottish weeklies. The titles affected include The Scotsman, The Edinburgh Evening News, Scotland on Sunday, The Falkirk Herald, and Milngavie and Bearsden Herald.

Of the 45 members balloted at the former, 29 voted: a turnout of 64.4 per cent. Of those, 27 voted yes to strike action, and 26 voted for action short of a strike, said the union.

The union continued, of the members on the weekly titles, 23 were balloted and 15 voted: a turnout of 65.2 per cent. Ten voted in favour of strike action, and 11 in favour of action short of a strike.

John Toner, NUJ national organiser for Scotland said: “We are delighted that our members have shown their strength of feeling through an independent ballot. Compulsory redundancies are a red line for our members, and we applaud their principled stance. It should go without saying, but we would prefer to resolve this dispute without the need for industrial action. There is still time for the employer to consider applications for voluntary redundancy that have been made and avoid the need to force our members out of their jobs. We will be meeting with our members over the next couple of days to discuss what action to take and when to take it.”