A number of photographers working for Local World-owned newspapers in the West of England are being threatened with redundancy, according to the National Union of Journalists.
In a statement, the NUJ claimed that more than 10 photographers are being asked to accept zero-hours style contracts if they want any work from the company in future.
The union said staff photographers working for newspapers including the Western Daily Press, Bath Chronicle, Gloucester Citizen and Echo and in Yeovil at the Western Gazette have been put at risk of redundancy.
According to the union, Local World plans to introduce a “freelance model” for photographic staff all all its titles in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Bath along with Western Daily Press in Bristol. The only staff roles left will be primarily on picture desks.
Laura Davison, NUJ national organiser, said: “Long serving and committed photographers are being put in an impossible position by Local World. They have been told they face redundancy or must accept an inferior agreement for freelance work with no guarantees. This is despite the work still being needed.
“To top it off, staff have been denied access to union support in redundancy meetings. Like other regional newspaper groups Local World appears to have failed to grasp the importance of quality pictures to local journalism, including to the growth of digital and video content across the industry.”
A Local World spokesperson said: “Like other organisations, Local World continually reviews its operations, and where this has an impact on employees, full consultation always takes place, as is happening in this particular instance. “
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If true (and I say if), then this is the future. Forget notions of fairness, or studying hard to try and improve yourself with qualifications, and any kind of secure future for your families. Readers will submit pics (yep, those ones with the lamposts growing out of people’s heads and their own shadows in them) and you can’t compete with them. Because they’re free! Welcome to the present!
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It has been well known in Local World senior management circles for some time that accusatory fingers have been pointed at local managements from the dead eyes at HQ with more than a passing reference to the 30+% profit margins being achieved (at high long term cost to the portfolio, I might add) in and around the Tamar.
So here’s the denouement, as we see measures such as this (with more to come) to cut costs and chase the higher margins required by people with only a short term interest in return and hang the long term consequences to people and portfolios.
The tragedy is that these are ALREADY highly profitable businesses, operating at high margins, and yet still more cost-cutting is required to meet the demands of those at HQ who will be gone within 2-3 years (for one reason or another) leaving behind a shell of a business with no hope of retaining market share due to lack of long term planning and investment.
DMGT were good owners of these businesses, but those at Derry Street who sanctioned the sell-off to Local World, safe in their eyrie, should hang their heads in shame at what they have done.
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If the freelance rates are anything like what Johnston Press are purported to be paying then my advice would be to take the redundancy & walk away with your dignity intact. That’s what I’ll be doing when Newsquest inevitably follow suit – as they always do.
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I really am coming to loathe the business in which I made such an enjoyable living for so long.
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Really sorry to hear this, having worked at more than one of these titles in the past – they were great papers and training grounds, staffed by some brilliant photographers.
I hope you find some way to fight against these proposals, and keep your heads held high.
More sad news from a once great industry.
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It’s all so reminiscent of what happened to brewing and pubs in the 70s. Same artificial pubs selling same tasteless, mass-produced, gassy rubbish. Double Diamond, Long Life, Red Barrel. Everything the same, wherever you went.
Sadly, no sign of the Campaign for Real Newspapers saving the day!
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Gutted for all the photographers being treated like this…. but how long before it gets to the other papers in the group in and around South Devon and Cornwall.
Ask the management now and they will deny all knowledge of any plans in the pipeline then bang here you go this is whats going to happen, like it or lump it.
Zero hour contracts – just an insult a far as I’m concerned, You get what you pay for as they say, free pictures are usually xxxx pictures which end up making a half decent product into a cheep, nasty low quality, low budget looking product.
I will take the cash and go no question this time when it does finally arrive which can’t be too long now?
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I’m sorry for the photographers but hundreds of reporters and subs were kicked out of their jobs years ago… what’s the difference?
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Hmm.. looks like my last commented has been moderated. Let’s just say the zero hours contract rates being offered don’t add up anywhere near to current salaries. Once you take out the tax, national insurance, mileage expenses, pension payments, equipment costs and maintenance, public liability insurance , broadband and mobile comms you would probably be better off working at Tesco’s stacking shelves.
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Anyone noticed the abysmal quality of pictures in local papers, mostly User Generated Copy ( FREE).
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Too right “well out of it”. Some of the pixelated out of focus badly composed snaps make me think editors have no professional pride in their papers. As for sent in sports pictures, it seems sports eds will use any old rubbish to fill a hole. Surely we can do better by our readers than this rubbish?
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I don’t know if they’re just short of time when going out to jobs or what it is, but I can’t say the so-called pros on our patch turn out a product that’s any better than the iPhone amateurs; one in particular seems to make a point of making everything slope left or right by about eight degrees and I then have to crop and rotate the picture so the page doesn’t look like a toddler’s collage. My first paper only had two snappers and I learned a lot about photography from them. They could make a dull-as-ditchwater story appealing just by a imaginative picture, even if it’s only climbing on a wall to get a high angle and all the faces in the crowd showing, instead of peering over each other’s shoulders. Do photographers still carry a small stepladder in the boot of the car, for example? Do they even understand depth of field? I can’t remember the last time I pulled in a story and thought, “That’s a great picture.” I suppose the difference is that in those days there was a picture editor back at base who’d give them a b***ocking if they came back with three rolls of rubbish, whereas now no one in authority has any awareness of design or gives a proverbial. And as for the stuff that goes up online – give me strength.
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Steerpike, it might interest you to know that every single nominee in the short list for News Photographer of the Year in the South West media awards (as reported elsewhere here n HTFP) is at risk of redundancy under these Local World proposals. Getting rid of staff photographers (and other editorial staff) is a very short sighted attitude from Local World.
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