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Strike action at Midlands newspapers called off

A strike planned at Trinity Mirror’s newspapers in the Midlands for this Thursday has been called off.

Journalists on titles such as the Birmingham Post and Mail were due to hold a day of action over plans for 17 editorial redundancies.

Now members of the National Union of Journalists chapel at the Birmingham papers have withdrawn from the planned 24-hour industrial action.

It follows confirmation by the company that there will be no compulsory redundancies among journalists on the BPM Media (Midlands) and Midland Weekly Media North titles.

The NUJ says in a chapel statement it has been working closely with BPM Media management to avoid job losses and it is relieved that no union members will be made compulsorily redundant.

Nine Trinity Mirror weekly newspapers in the Midlands have ceased publication in the past few weeks.

The Coventry Telegraph NUJ chapel is due to meet tomorrow to discuss these latest developments.

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said: “The chapels have shown that strong united action can stop compulsory redundancies.

“We welcome the progress that’s been made and congratulate NUJ members for standing up for journalism.

“The union will continue to defend jobs and journalism wherever we can.”

BPM Media MD John Griffith said: “We are delighted that the NUJ have called off the strike threat in Birmingham.

“As we said at the start of this process we are committed to constructive consultation and we are extremely pleased to have achieved this outcome.”

Comments

Dave (29/07/2009 09:46:17)
So what was the strike threat all about? More posturing from the NUJ.

stewart perkins (29/07/2009 10:18:50)
Congratulations to my NUJ colleagues for ensuring that there are no compulsory redundancies among union members. Their stance has been fully justified. Result, I think….

Hengist Pod (29/07/2009 10:38:44)
Quite simple really Dave. There were going to be compulsory redundancies and now there are not. Quite how much the threat of a strike influenced this change of heart is anyone’s guess but even the simplest among us must agree it played its part.

the red postman (29/07/2009 12:20:44)
‘Posturing from the NUJ’? It was nothing of the sort, it was a room full of angry and frustrated people who wanted to make a stand against the possibility of semi-trained teenage journalists being kicked out into the street with little prospect of another job to go to. And it succeeded.

Rich Simcox (29/07/2009 12:54:24)
Congratulations to the NUJ chapel members who mounted a solid, united resistance to these proposals, voting massively in favour of a strike.
These members will take strength from this and it will give confidence to other Trinity Mirror chapels in Newcastle and Middlesbrough currently balloting for industrial action.

James (29/07/2009 16:37:52)
How did the NUJ change compulsory redundancies to voluntary ones? Surely it was just a case of extra volunteers coming forward? Did the NUJ bully these extra members to come forward? As for standing up for journalism, how many jobs have been saved? How many of these papers have been saved? What difference has the union action made in the end other than convincing a few more people to take a voluntary exit. If that’s standing up for journalism, then it’s time for the NUJ nationally to pack up and go home. Congratulations to the local reps for managing to maintain a decent relationship with managers in the Midlands when all the national NUJ seems to want to do is make mischief. On here last week, Chris Morley was calling for management to “come to the table” for talks, but on Media Guardian, the local FoCs say they have worked closely with local management. I think that suggests just how out of touch the national NUJ – well done to the local guys for avoiding a strike which would have done nothing other than weaken the newspapers involved.

journalisto (31/07/2009 14:29:20)
Not sure what the aim of the anti nuj comments are all about. TM regionals under Georgina Harvey are making changes all about short term cost saving – not about providing for a medium term future ie by having titles to make profits on when the economy turns around (if they’re closed or ruined eg by the Birmingham Mail going overnight then the company will be in a very poor position).