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Production jobs under threat in outsourcing move

Up to 20 jobs are under threat at Newsquest Lancashire as management looks to move more functions abroad.

Insiders have told HTFP that staff in its advertising production department were informed this week bosses were considering outsourcing the work to India.

Sources said that 20 staff were affected with four positions, to be called ‘media support co-ordinators’, will be retained in the Blackburn office, home of the Lancashire Telegraph.

The centre also houses a centralised subbing hub for Newsquest’s other titles in the north-west county and it is believed to be one of the last to undergo outsourcing of its advertising production unit.

Staff are now undergoing a 30-day consultation period which commenced earlier this week.

Newsquest has previously moved some of its other operations abroad, such as pre-press jobs at its bases in Argus and Swindon in summer 2008.

Newsquest had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

Comments

Old timer (29/01/2010 10:22:35)
Goodness gracious me!

Onlooker (29/01/2010 10:58:42)
Outsourcing British advertising jobs to India in a recession ? Bizarre. If this goes ahead, how long before journalists’ jobs go the same way. Perhaps Newsquest sees this as the future of ‘hyperlocal’ newspapers. I can already imagine poorly paid ‘hacks’ in a vast Bombay call centre ringing round for local soccer results or quotes for the latest murder/rape/mayhem.
It’s clear US-based Newsquest bosses don’t give a toss about local British communities. I fervently hope they leave these shores sooner rather than later.

Sue Donnim (29/01/2010 11:28:34)
This has been attempted at other NQ centres and has been an unmitigated disaster. Adverts look like they’ve been produced by kids, spellings incorrect, banks of text riddled with errors. It’s embarrassing to read. It’s like it has been done in another country…oh.