Agreement has ?nally been reached to transfer the employment contract of 18 journalists from Reuters to GMTV when the agency’s contract to supply the breakfast broadcaster with news runs out at the end of the year.
A Reuters spokeswoman con?rmed the agreement and said the staff had been consulted. GMTV managing director Paul Corley insisted no redundancies would be made to make room for the transferred Reuters journalists.
“Our operation isn’t changing because it doesn’t need to change. We are happy to take over the employment of the Reuters people and it doesn’t have any impact on GMTV people because they are integrated into our teams and our shift patterns.
They are part of our team and have been for many years.”
Some of the Reuters journalists, including GMTV editor Martin Frizell, have been working on the breakfast news operation for up to 10 years.
“We will go through detailed consultations on it all and make sure everyone’s happy,” said Corley The NUJ’s national broadcast organiser, Paul McLaughlin, said: “We’ve begun negotiations over the transfer and there are obviously issues to resolve around terms and conditions and the implications of the transfer.
“But we’re positive about the fact a decision has been reached, and we’re fully engaged with GMTV and Reuters as to the transfer process going forward.
We’re hopeful things will be resolved to the bene?t of all.”
In June, Reuters gave GMTV six months’ notice that it would cease to provide the reporting element to the broadcaster’s news service. As part of company-wide cost-cutting, it will now only supply video footage.
By Wale Azeez
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