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150 Trinity Mirror journalists to strike over job cuts
NUJ members at Trinity Mirror’s midlands titles have voted to strike next Thursday 30 July.
The action - involving the Birmingham Mail, Birmingham Post, Coventry Telegraph, Sunday Mercury and Midlands Weekly Media titles - is in opposition to compulsory redundancies and the closure of papers.
Trinity Mirror workplace union chapels are also balloting for action over cuts in Newcastle and Middlesbrough.
The midlands cuts were announced on 1 July but the NUJ had predicted them the previous week.
After the midlands journalists voted massively for industrial action in a postal ballot Trinity Mirror bosses dismissed the result because of low turnout.
But at chapel meetings in Birmingham and Coventry this week more people voted to hold the strike than had voted for action in the ballots.
The union has around 150 members at the company in the midlands.
Chris Morley, NUJ Northern Organiser who trained on the Walsall Observer - one of the papers that is due to close this week, said: “Trinity Mirror need to stop finding excuses to ignore the opposition of their workforce to these drastic cuts.
“Journalists want the opportunity to save these papers but the company can see no options but slash and burn.”
Jeremy Dear, NUJ General Secretary, said: “Lets hope this vote for action will bring the company to the negotiating table with some positive proposals.
“Trinity Mirror have squandered the record profits of the past few years on huge bonuses for bosses and dividends for shareholders. Let’s see some investment in these titles and the communities they serve.
“The chapels in the midlands have the full support of the national union.”
The action in the midlands is part of a union-wide campaign against media cutbacks.
23 July 2009
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