Editorial staff at the Manchester Evening News are to ballot on industrial action over shift patterns at the paper.

National Union of Journalists members have been trying to reach an agreement with management on the number of afternoon and evening shifts, finishing at 9pm and 11pm, which staff are required to work.

But despite the intervention of conciliation service ACAS, this has so far been unsuccessful.

Now ballot papers are being prepared and are due to go out to around 80 union members in the next few days, asking if they would support strike action or industrial action short of a strike.

Changes to edition times mean staff are expected to work a number of later shifts, which management estimate to be around 80 a year, but union members say this is too high.

While talks are continuing staff there are working the new shifts "as a goodwill gesture" but MEN mother of chapel Judy Gordon says this has shown how "intolerable" they are, with some people who did not previously work any late shifts now working regularly until 11pm.

She said: "We are still talking to management and trying to find a way through it.

"The main problem is subs, who could be required to work nearly half of their shifts in the evening, which when you join a paper to work in the daytime is intolerable and extremely inconvenient for people."

The result of the ballot should be known by mid-May, and management would then need to be given seven days notice of any resulting action.