Northcliffe faces strike threat in Bristol as 20 jobs go

Sarah Lagan

Journalists at the Bristol Evening Post and
Western Daily Press have had their fears confirmed as Northcliffe has
announced 20 journalists are to go at the papers.

If there is a majority vote for strike action,
staff have indicated that the first walk-out could be on
30 December. Ballot papers for NUJ members are currently out and a result is expected on Monday.

Northclfiffe has said the jobs will come out of
the reporting, sports, photographic, graphics and subbing departments.
More job losses, on top of this 20, are expected to be announced in the
features department as well as in business and administration.

According to the NUJ, on top of the redundancies seven journalists
left the paper and have not been replaced since the company announced
its dramatic cost cutting exercise Aim Higher in October. The company
plans to cut £30 million a year from its budgets in a bid to drive up
profit margins.

Northcliffe had originally estimated the number of editorial jobs to go
at Bristol would be 36.

Father of chapel at the BEP Derek Brooks said: “We expected the number
to come down from the original 36 job losses but it seems it could
reach that. We are very surprised they need to do away with so many
jobs.”

Daily Mail and General Trust announced its intention at the end of
November to sell the Northcliffe regional newspapers division –
Britain’s third biggest regional newspaper publisher. Analysts believe
the asking price is likely to be in the region of £1.5 billion.