Up to 32 staff are at risk of redundancy at a regional press printing plant.

Johnston Press management in Peterborough are considering reducing day printing at its centre after a “detailed review of press utilisation”.

The plant currently publishes the Peterborough-based Evening Telegraph, although this is printed overnight, along with sister weeklies from across JP’s Midlands titles.

A consultation period is now under way with affected staff which is due to be completed by 22 March.

A statement issued by divisional MD printing David Crow said: “Johnston Press plc has undertaken a review of press utilisation across its print division and as a result is proposing to reduce its day printing operation in Peterborough.

“Should the proposal proceed, up to 32 positions will be at risk of redundancy.

“In the event that this proposal goes ahead, we will endeavour to minimise redundancies through voluntary severance and redeployment.”

The news comes swiftly after Harmsworth Printing confirmed it was closing its plant in Plymouth, with the loss of 95 jobs, and DC Thomson opened consultations on reducing headcount by around 45 at its Glasgow centre.

Comments

Reader (24/02/2010 12:33:58)
Well, the standard of spelling and grammar has gone down recently in the Grantham Journal. Presumably everything is now done in a rush, and can only get worse. I speak as a reader who actually BUYS the paper, as opposed to perusing the all-new website.

Fed Up (25/02/2010 09:21:39)
And its sister paper the Lincs Free Press recently carried a story about hare “coarsing”. Can Johnston Press do any more to demoralise staff and alienate readers? Of course – watch this space, as they say.

richard meredith (25/02/2010 17:02:21)
Unfortunately ‘Fed-up’, the answer would appear to be Yes,JP has got many ways yet to alienate its staff. In my patch, where reporters are already keying stories and heads straight onto the page, the standards of a once award-winning paper are sad to behold; next we have pensions under threat; now we have printing plant closures. All praise to the brave local journos there who came out on strike last month – but they were forced to settle for a rise that doesn’t even keep up with inflation.
Shame on you too HTFP for such poor coverage of this whole Johnson Press debacle. The demise of a major batch of your readers – and one of the nation’s largest local newspaper groups – is happening before your eyes, yet your reporting (let alone campaigning) of the debacle is often woeful.

Paul Linford, Editor (25/02/2010 17:15:31)
Richard, I think you’ll find we were the first media website to report the introduction of the Apex content management system across JP, as well as numerous plans for centralised subbing hubs across the group. I think you will also find we were the only website this week to report this particular story. Not perfect, I grant you. But hardly ‘woeful.’

richard meredith (25/02/2010 17:17:38)
how about some campaigning then Paul. Has HTFP ever taken an editorial stance on such important issues?
As matter of fact, why not give your weight to things like this –
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=45096&c=1