Newsroom
New management proposals settle dispute in East Lancs
A day after NUJ members at the company voted massively in favour of industrial action Johnston Press in East Lancashire has agreed not to press on with compulsory redundancies.
The new plan will see two editorial managers leave voluntarily. Their responsibilities will be taken on by weekly paper editors.
Union members at the Burnley Express, Clitheroe Advertiser and Nelson Leader have agreed to accept the porposals.
The reorganisation will mean the editor from Nelson will also look after Clitheroe where the editor has volunteered for redundancy.
The editor at Burnley will also look after a sports desk where the sports editor has volunteered for redundancy.
Chris Morley, NUJ Northern Organiser, said: “By sticking together journalists on these weekly papers have stopped compulsory redundancies and ensured work is covered.
“It is an excellent achievement.”
Jeremy Dear, NUJ General Secretary, said: “Congratulations to the chapel in East Lancashire. They have shown the value of collective action.”
Last month Johnston Press managers at the Derry Journal agreed no NUJ members would be made compulsorily redundant after a big vote for industrial action.
But in Leeds, where journalists have taken 13 days of strike action, JP managers say they can’t guarantee all job cuts will be voluntary.
The NUJ is running a union-wide campaign against media cutbacks.
8 April 2009
