The company says it plans to cut 18 editorial jobs from its Newcastle operations, with a further seven jobs to go in Middlesbrough.

Journalists were surprised by the severity of the cuts, which were announced to staff this afternoon. The NUJ chapel in Newcastle is due to meet on Tuesday to decide on how to respond to the announcement. Members in Middlesbrough are also expected to meet to discuss the company’s plans.

NUJ Northern Regional Organiser Chris Morley said: “The announcement of these savage cutbacks have left people feeling shell shocked and angry. These latest cuts must represent about 10 per cent of the editorial workforce and come on top of reductions in staffing earlier this year.

“Journalists on these titles are already struggling to cope with the day-to-day demands placed on them since the last round of redundancies. It is hard to understand how the company expects people to continue to produce quality journalism with such depleted staffing levels.

“NUJ members will now decide on how they plan to respond. Combined with Trinity Mirror’s plans for cutbacks across the Midlands, the company’s stated commitments to local communities look pretty hollow. It is left to its journalists to stand up for quality on their titles.”

Journalists at Trinity Mirror across the Midlands have called for industrial action ballots after the company refused to give guarantees about its plans for the region or rule out compulsory redundancies. It has announced plans to cut 17 jobs in the Midlands and the NUJ has also called on the company to come clean on its plans for the Birmingham Post and Mail.

Find out more about our campaign against cutbacks

06 July 2009