Journalists at the Daily Record and Sunday Mail in Scotland will consider strike action if compulsory redundancies are sought, says the National Union of Journalists.

Union members met with Trinity Mirror bosses on Friday over the loss of 90 editorial jobs at the title but failed to negotiate over severance pay. The  company rejected a plea to increase the severance terms on offer, which would potentially attract more applications for voluntary redundancy.

If there are not enough voluntary redundancies by Monday it is expected that compulsory redundancies will be made

In an attempt to protect titles the union is now calling on the Scottish government to create a newspaper version of the  broadcasting commission it set up four years ago.

The commission would see the Government acting as a guarantor to stop newspapers from going under and would look at a number of things including the salaries of chief executives.

Paul Holleran Scottish organiser for the National Union of Journalists said two weeks of talks with management had proved unsuccessful. He said the chapel had tried to negotiate with the company to protect the future of the titles and take less jobs out but it had not accepted.

Said Mr Holleran: “If compulsory redundancies are made we will go for industrial action. We tried to reach an agreement locally but it was rejected.”

“We are still talking to them, we can’t afford to lose that many jobs,” he added.

The severance pay currently on offer is two weeks’ pay for every year of service, up to a maximum of 18 months’ worth.

Two weeks ago it was announced that 90 editorial jobs at the Daily Record and Sunday Mail newspapers had been earmarked for redundancy.

A Trinity Mirror spokesperson said: “We continue to work with all affected staff and their representatives and we are committed to achieving as many as possible of these redundancies by voluntary means.”

Mark Hollinshead director of national newspapers at Trinity Mirror is due to speak to staff on Friday.