The threat of redundancy for Independent education features editor Lucy Hodges has been lifted.
The bid to cut Hodges’ job came after The Independent’s weekly education section, which she edited, was axed as a separate pullout.
Head of publishing at the National Union of Journalists Barry Fitzpatrick said this morning: “This is one redundancy too far following on from the those that led up to the Lebedev take-over.
“It is not only a bad decision commercially but destroys the credibility of the new owner’s promises to invest in quality journalism. If The Independent abandons its prime position on education it does not bode well for its future.”
Independent journalists met this afternoon and were due to vote on whether to hold an official industrial action ballot in protest at the redundancy.
But the NUJ has issued a statement saying that management has withdrawn its intention to dismiss Hodges pending an appeal hearing.
The NUJ said in a statement: “Whilst this move is to be welcomed the main issue remains. It is to be hoped that the company will now use the time created to review with us the necessity for such an attack on the editorial quality of the paper and reach a sensible solution that fulfils the commitment to invest in quality journalism.”
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