NUJ responds to PA proposal to close Howden hub
NUJ members at the Press Association have responded to the company’s proposal to close its northern hub at Howden in Yorkshire and transfer operations to Leeds.
The NUJ PA chapel said:
“The Press Association chapel of the National Union of Journalists is concerned to learn about potential job losses and a proposal to shut PA’s Howden office and move a large number of staff to a new office in Leeds.
“The PA Media Group, which also has a headquarters in Paddington, London, has owned the Howden office in Yorkshire since 2002.
“It is the contractual office location for more than 250 employees.
“Under the proposal, most of these staff would be reallocated to work from the new office with a limited number of cases working from home.
“Among those affected are a number of news and sport production journalists, many of whom have worked at PA for decades.
“For more than 20 years, PA staff have chosen to build careers and homes in the market town of Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
“Many have expressed deep sorrow at the prospect of leaving the area and are concerned at the potential impact that shutting the office might have on the local community.
“Since the consultation was announced last week, PA chapel representatives have been on site liaising with journalists who are affected by the proposal, which could put staff at potential risk of redundancy if they chose not to relocate in the event that the Howden office closes.
“Reps have also been engaging in meaningful consultation with the PA management to scrutinise the proposal and look at how it might work in practice.
“A separate consultation process is underway looking at whether to disband a team of page production staff based in Howden, putting their jobs at risk.
“They are also being provided with support by PA chapel reps through this difficult time.”
Chris Morley, NUJ Northern & Midlands senior organiser, said:
“Although many employees at Howden felt for some time the hub’s days might be numbered, such a significant announcement about complete closure of the site inevitably is the source of much concern.
“A generation of journalists working for the Press Association have built their lives around this site and to end that is always going to be painful for many.“The plans to make those roles in the page production unit redundant is a particularly difficult one for those in skilled jobs looking to the future but in a declining print market.
“However, there is an extensive consultation now underway where the NUJ will be working hard to achieve the best possible outcomes and supporting individual members closely in the time we have to ensure their personal circumstances are given proper regard by the company.
“It is essential that the company finds a way to retain and accommodate as many staff as possible to maintain the journalistic quality and experience that made the company’s name.”