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March of solidarity for striking journalists

Crowds marched through Doncaster town centre on Saturday in support of striking journalists.

Hundreds of people filled the streets of Doncaster in support of the union members from South Yorkshire Newspapers who have just begun their fourth week of indefinite strike action against 18 proposed job cuts at five Johnston Press titles.

Journalists from The Doncaster Free Press, South Yorkshire Times, Epworth Bells, Selby Times and Goole Courier have been manning picket lines outside the offices since the strike began on 15 July with the papers being written by skeletal staff ever since.

People taking part in the march held up placards reading ‘Graeme Huston – you have a problem’, in reference to editor-in-chief of the South Yorkshire Times Graeme Huston who members have taken a vote of no confidence in.

Julia West from the Communications Workers Union said: “It’s unusual these days for people to feel so strongly that they go on indefinite strike – I think they need our support in their fight for quality local journalism.”

The protest march through the town centre, which culminated in a rally in Doncaster Market Place, was organised by members of trade unions including Unison, Unite and the Communication Workers Union in sympathy with the NUJ.

The National Union of Journalists said it had invited the company to enter mediation talks with Acas but had not received a response.

Nobody at Johnston Press has commented.

Under the plans the company wants to merge the Yorkshire Times, Goole Courier and Selby Times under a single editor. A total of five editorial jobs and 13 advertising staff would be lost as a result of the proposals .

6 comments

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  • August 8, 2011 at 12:48 pm
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    The support and solidarity of other unions made one proud to be part of this demonstration. Phil did a superb job of leading the rally, and without exception the speeches in the market square were reasoned and defiant. Whether those skulking in Sunny Bar, or those soulless people pulling the strings, take any notice is anyone’s guess. They ignore this at their peril.

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  • August 8, 2011 at 4:04 pm
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    The whole newspaper industry is based on getting both sides of the story.
    So why the continued stonewalling from JP?
    Do Huston and co think this will be resolved by ignoring the strikers and their demands?
    The longer it goes on, the bigger the problem becomes for JP.

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  • August 9, 2011 at 9:50 am
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    The scab newspapers are damaging the situation in that some customers have returned their copies of the papers to newsagents, due to the poor quality, some who have the papers delivered have cancelled them and sadly they will be gone for good.

    If the scabs who are producing these papers, those who are writing them, those who are putting them together and those who are printing them, would only realise that they are causing more damage to the newspapers than those on strike.

    What are these scabs to do when the evil eye looks at them?

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  • August 9, 2011 at 5:21 pm
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    The people you are referring to as ‘scabs’ have all been in the same situation at some point over the past 6 – 12 months, the difference being they didn’t make a song and dance out of it. It’s unfortunate that these job cuts are happening but all of those stood outside the Free Press Offices have jobs to go to, some people in other jobs don’t have the option to strike against job cuts and end up on the scrap heap, it’s an insult to those people when others who still have a job to go to are stood outside because they can’t hack having to do a little extra work for their money. As for JP still not making any comment does this really give the strikers much confidence ???

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  • August 10, 2011 at 1:45 pm
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    We are in the twilight years of printed newspapers in the regions. Up and down the country titles have gone and dailies have become weeklies. There are no jobs for life any more. Why? Competition in the new age of electronic communication. Revenues are down because newspapers are no longer the only advertising show in town; circulations are down because TV and radio are faster and free; Facebook and Twitter are personal and instant. Even Hold The Front Page is another nail in the coffin.
    No newspaper management wants to crush a newspaper or drive a title into the ground. They want exactly the opposite, but have to work within the financial constraints of the real world. In the longer term there will be no winners in this dispute.

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  • August 10, 2011 at 5:11 pm
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    Its not only about the job cuts but these newspapers are set to go down the pan due to JP’s short sighted policies.

    Before JP borrowed all the millions to buy the newspapers a few years ago, these newspapers were all turning a tidy profit, but now out of those that are left, most are struggling, most are only a shadow of their former selves.

    JP tends to bury its head in the sand and say it is the same all over the industry, but I know for a fact that the independant Barnsley Chronicle is doing well and expanding into the voids left by the JP failing newspap[ers.

    Who could have imagined that Barnsley Chronicle would be on sale in Mexborough, but it is selling well there and is set to move in further.

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