National Union of Journalists’ members in Newcastle have until next Wednesday to decide whether to take industrial action.

A recent ballot of chapel members at Trinity Mirror’s ncjMedia division, which publishes The Journal and Evening Chronicle, voted in favour of strike action.

The ballot was held after the company announced plans last month to close some of its weeklies, reduce the Evening Chronicle to one daily edition and scale down the digital content team, with the loss of 18 jobs at the centre.

One NUJ member has been given a compulsory redundancy notice by the company and an appeal is scheduled for the week commencing 24 August.

If the NUJ wishes to take any form of strike action, they must give management at ncjMedia seven days notice no later than 19 August.

NUJ assistant northern organiser Jenny Lennox said that, of those who voted in the ballot, 73pc opted for full industrial action while 93pc chose action short of full strike.

A further meeting between the chapel and management is due to take place shortly as part of the ongoing discussions. A spokesman for NCJ Media said: “We continue to have constructive discussions with the union at a local level.”

In a separate development, NUJ members at Trinity Mirror’s titles in Teesside voted against any form of strike action.

The weekly Times series and Yarm Town Crier were both threatened with closure, with seven jobs at the Teesside centre at risk.