Union members will call on Trinity Mirror shareholders to take urgent action to tackle stress among the company’s journalists amid a “crisis” in staffing levels.

A group of NUJ members and officials will hand out a letter to shareholders at the publisher’s annual general meeting today (16 May) which says there is “endemic stress” among its journalists.

The letter highlights a survey of more than 230 journalists in Trinity Mirror – around 8.5pc of its editorial workforce – which the union says showed they were “near breaking point”.

It comes after the publisher cut 92 jobs across its regional titles as part of a move towards more content-sharing.

NUJ members outside Trinity Mirror's AGM today

NUJ Northern and Midlands organiser Chris Morley said: “There’s a couple of things we want to flag up to the directors and this is a very good opportunity to do this.

“The continual cuts that there have been throughout the last five years had led to serious issues on staffing, workload and stress and that has become even more apparent with the 92 redundancies this year.

“The other issue is around boardroom pay. The company has addressed that to some extent, given the controversy over Sly Bailey’s fabulous rewards when the performance of the company didn’t merit it.”

The union’s survey was carried out among journalists across Trinity Mirror in March and it is currently discussing the results of it with the company.

The NUJ is also calling for the company to publish the multiples of earnings between how much the chief executive and the middle paid staff earn.

Says the letter: “The NUJ also wants to inform you of our grave concerns over the crisis in staffing levels within the group and the risk it poses to the longer term health of the business.

“In 2004, Trinity Mirror employed 6,000 ‘production and editorial’ staff. Last year that figure was 2,700. Yet in February, the company axed a further 92 journalists in the English provincial and Welsh titles it owns.

“But relentless job cuts are hitting the remaining staff hard. Work is not diminishing- in fact additional tasks are being asked of editorial staff. An NUJ survey of more than 230 journalists showed they are near breaking point.

“Applying the Health and Safety Executive’s own measures, “urgent action” is required to tackle endemic stress.”

A Trinity Mirror spokesman said:  “We don’t believe our staff are in crisis.”