The NUJ met ITN management just before Christmas in a bid to win improved conditions for ITV News Channel staff facing the sack.
Staff at the News Channel attended the meeting on 19 December along with the NUJ and ITN management.
ITN,
which produced the News Channel, has said that around 70 staff, the
majority of which are journalists, are at risk now that the channel has
closed.
NUJ broadcasting organiser Paul McLaughlin said ITN
management did not agree to a proposed improved redundancy package or
to guarantee there would be no compulsory redundancies.
A second meeting has been scheduled for 10 January.
The
decision to close the channel on 23 December rather than in January was
made at the last minute and announced on 19 December.
Clive
Jones, chief executive of ITV news and regions, said: “The staff and
management have agreed that we could not expect staff to work their
usual long hours and shift patterns over Christmas at a time when the
channel’s closure was imminent. Following ITV’s announcement last week
of a £2m investment in other areas of the news service we will be
looking at the opportunities created by the expansion of our operation
to redeploy as many staff as possible in the new year.”
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