National Union of Journalists members at Herts and Essex Newspapers say they have voted to suspend a ballot on industrial action after management agreed to "major concessions" in restructuring plans.

Union members at the group's titles, which include the Hertfordshire Mercury, Herts and Essex Observer series and the Harlow Star series, have been unhappy with a proposed editorial reorganisation, and had been considering strike action.

But they have now informed management that they have decided to "respond positively" to proposals made by the company.

According to the union, the chapel will now be involved in a "no-holds-barred" review of the restructure after it has been implemented and an NUJ Forum will be reconstituted and meet on a bi-monthly basis.

It says the future of the Hoddesdon office will be reviewed jointly with the union in October and a production editor and additional freelance sub-editor will also be appointed.

Herts and Essex Newspapers managing director Paul Thompson and editor-in-chief Colin Grant were unavailable for comment.

A union spokesman said: "It is important now that members look to the future rather than dwell on the past.

"While the chapel may not have achieved 100 per cent of the aims it set out with, we have certainly succeeded in significantly changing the damaging implications of the management's plans."

The proposed changes included scrapping the existing posts of editor and news editor at both the Hoddesdon and Cheshunt Mercury series and its sister title the Hertfordshire Mercury, replacing them with one overall editor and one overall news editor.

The plan also proposed that the role of editor of the sister Herts and Essex Observer be merged with that of the group's editor-in-chief, Colin Grant, who would take on the job. The company's two Star Series newspapers would have one editor instead of two.