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More journalists vote to strike over subbing hub plans

Journalists in Bradford and York have joined union members in Darlington by voting for strike action over plans to move subbing jobs to South Wales.

Production roles at The Press in York, Bradford’s Telegraph and Argus and The Northern Echo were put under threat by Newsquest with a proposal to transfer the roles to Newport.

But members of the National Union of Journalists at the chapels in York and Bradford have now voted by more than 80pc in favour of strike action and 100pc in favour of action short of a strike.

It comes after the chapel in Darlington voted last week to take industrial action, with 75pc voting for a strike and 93pc in favour of action short of a strike.

The NUJ said that 10 production jobs are at risk in Bradford, 10 in Darlington and five in York under Newsquest’s plans. A chief feature writer role in Darlington is also under threat.

Following the ballot result, NUJ members will meet today to discuss their next course of action.

Chris Morley, NUJ Northern and Midlands organiser, said: “Members at all three Newsquest Yorkshire and North East centres have now delivered emphatic votes in favour of industrial action – not only to defend jobs in their newsrooms but also the quality of the journalism their communities rightfully expect.

“Newsquest should take close heed of this expression of anger and look to modify its plans that nobody but the corporate bean counters have anything good to say about.

“It is not too late for Newsquest bosses to take a fresh look at what their hard-pressed and badly let-down staff are telling them and pull back from the brink of a disastrous experiment that could cause irrevocable damage to their local businesses.

“It is not as if the group is doing badly and having to cut for survival’s sake. Gracia Martore, boss of US parent Gannett yesterday told American money markets that Newsquest was ‘solidly profitable’ and that she was expecting that the group as a whole would have a ‘terrific’ 2014.

“Figures for the last three months of 2013, also showed Newsquest’s digital income rose by almost 19pc.”

Newsquest’s parent company Gannett released its quarterly figures for the group on Tuesday and said each of its segments was “solidly profitable in the fourth quarter”.

Mark Stead and Tony Kelly, joint Fathers of Chapel at NUJ York, said: “The fact our members are overwhelming in favour of industrial action is the clearest possible sign of the anger Newsquest’s ill-conceived and thrown-together proposals have caused.

“They are not prepared to see talented, experienced, flexible and utterly dedicated journalists tossed aside and have their lives thrown into chaos because of Newsquest’s bizarre belief that subbing hubs – which have already proved disastrous and have harmed the editorial reputation of newspapers wherever they have been attempted – are somehow the answer.

“The Newport proposals are not about efficiency and they are not about quality journalism. They are purely so a very profitable company can cut even more costs by treating the people who matter in local journalism with contempt.

“We hope this ballot result, and those at our sister papers in Darlington and Bradford, will lead to a Newsquest rethink and the abandonment of these proposals.”

The affected titles in Bradford include the Keighley News, Craven Herald, Ilkley Gazette and the Wharfedale and Aireborough Observer, while titles in York include the Gazette and Herald and Yorkshire Living magazine.

No one from Newsquest had responded to requests for a comment at the time of publication.

8 comments

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  • February 6, 2014 at 5:17 am
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    Good luck to all NUJ members at York (and Bradford and Darlo), I’ll stick a score in the post for the strike fund!

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  • February 6, 2014 at 11:40 am
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    All the best to NUJ members at Darlo, York and Bradford.

    Picket lines ahoy. I’ll bring the biscuits. Newsquest will bring their continuing shameful indifference.

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  • February 6, 2014 at 12:16 pm
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    I’d be livid if I was forced to move to Newport…. say no more.

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  • February 6, 2014 at 8:52 pm
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    This outsourcing of subbing is, of course, a disaster for the papers involved, as all journalists who know the regional press will acknowledge. Very sadly, it is part of the process – perhaps inevitable – that is seeing all these kind of papers wither and die. What we haven’t heard so far are the voices of the editors, some of whom are usually loud to express their views on all manner of subjects. Why have they all gone so silent?

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  • February 7, 2014 at 7:06 am
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    Newport’s senior subs feel truly sorry for anyone anywhere who has already lost their job or is likely to do so.

    But only a handful are in the NUJ, half are on probation and no one feels secure enough themselves to fight other people’s battles.

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  • February 7, 2014 at 10:54 am
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    If I was a journalist working for Newsquest I’d look for another job as quickly as possible. The way they treat people is beneath contempt and it is disgraceful that an American media empire is allowed access to the UK market like it is.
    Today it’s just throwing its economic weight around.
    Tomorrow it will be political pressure also.
    Third World Britain!

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