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Journalists targeted in group-wide redundancy scheme

Regional publisher Johnston Press has introduced a group-wide voluntary redundancy scheme aimed primarily at journalists in a bid to cut costs across the business.

HoldtheFrontPage learned that journalists in the group’s South Midlands division were offered the chance to opt for redundancy in a memo from bosses sent last week.

It has since emerged that the initiative is being rolled out across the company and is specifically aimed at editorial staff.

A notice about the scheme appeared in the company newsletter which was distributed to all JP staff earlier this week, while news of the initiative was also carried on the company’s intranet site The Word this morning.

The newsletter item read:  “The Group has introduced a voluntary redundancy scheme as a constructive way to reduce costs.

“The offer is aimed primarily at editorial and support staff across the business.

“Interested employees need to be in roles that do not require a replacement, or can be filled in a different way.

“Expressions of interest must be submitted to managers by the end of Wednesday, October 31. For further information please speak to your manager.”

Johnston Press has declined to comment publicly on the proposal.

19 comments

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  • October 24, 2012 at 2:42 pm
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    Ah yes, because JP papers’ main problem is that they have *too many* editorial staff, of course.

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  • October 24, 2012 at 3:21 pm
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    How long until phase 2 (involuntary redundancies)?

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  • October 24, 2012 at 3:35 pm
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    ‘Roles that do not require a replacement.’

    That’s going to make JP staff feel good about themself!

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  • October 24, 2012 at 4:43 pm
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    This is astonishing. Volunteers for redundancy were sought in The North West on the very same day, a number of new, additional ad managers were brought in to an already overly large team. Time for me to throw the towel in I think.

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  • October 24, 2012 at 4:55 pm
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    A ‘constructive way to reduce costs’. Surely that should read ‘destructive way to reduce costs?’ Next we’ll have newspapers with no journalists at all. Throw in the towel now JP and don’t prolong the slow lingering death any longer.

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  • October 24, 2012 at 7:01 pm
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    As always in newspapers these days it’s the journalists that take the redundancy hits while overstaffed advertising departments carry on their merry way … bulls***ting about the benefits of selling to a multi-media audience without actually pulling in the dosh.

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  • October 24, 2012 at 7:22 pm
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    The only people who need to go are the beancounters and their friends, the phonemonkeys.

    Only when journalists take the power back from them can journalism be saved.

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  • October 24, 2012 at 9:06 pm
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    No sign of any Human Resources staff or senior management anywhere to explain this particular strategy or to provide any reassurances for the future. JP is not a people company or a company that communicates any kind of care to its staff. Shocking.

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  • October 25, 2012 at 8:39 am
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    If these people are allegedly in roles that don’t need a replacement, what the hell are they doing there in the first place?

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  • October 25, 2012 at 9:31 am
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    How come the ad reps never have to take the hits? I know that’s not a very “team friendly” ethic to take but why is it always us hacks who bear the sharp end of the JP pruning fork?

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  • October 25, 2012 at 12:19 pm
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    Ad execs should be bearing the brunt of these cuts. Ads don’t sell papers, great stories do and that can only happen with a team of dedicated journalists.

    When is this going to be realised and when are companies going to stop treating their reporters like they’re disposable?

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  • October 25, 2012 at 1:14 pm
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    Since when did we have any roles which do not require replacement? We’re working to capacity already!

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  • October 25, 2012 at 2:40 pm
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    I bet one of the ‘executive suits’ still manages to rake in £800,000 this year like he did the last.

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  • October 26, 2012 at 10:35 am
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    tricky one. go for voluntary or get pushed out anyway for even less money? Anyone remember that Investors in People guff firms were so proud of?

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  • October 29, 2012 at 3:03 pm
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    I am a field sales rep and I think you will find that the advertising teams have already been heavily cut, all of the centres around ours including my own have lost staff. Nobody is underestimating the value of journalists as we wouldn’t have a newspaper at all without them but please consider the lower wages that advertising staff are paid and very often when all of the editorial department have gone home I have remained with my colleagues selling space and processing copy. Rarely have I left the office before 6.30 over the last month. It is hurtful to suggest that we are overpaid and overstaffed. Ad revenues are an integral part of the business.

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  • October 29, 2012 at 3:05 pm
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    I would also like to add that the advertising redundancies weren’t voluntary. I think that my now redundant advertising colleagues would have liked the choice.

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  • October 30, 2012 at 9:24 am
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    This is the Brave New World of newspapers my friends. No journalists, just ‘Content Providers’. Doesn’t matter where the content comes from. I can’t wait to get out of this once-proud industry once the opportunity arises.

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  • October 31, 2012 at 1:21 pm
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    How come the redundancy is open to everyone but, only ‘editorial’ staff are being allowed to apply?

    Have any ‘advertising’ staff been accepted?

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