February 1, 2012

Up to 75 more journalists to go at Mirror titles and People

Trinity Mirror has announced proposals to cut up to another 75 editorial jobs across the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People.

The company has announced a restructure that will see it integrate newsrooms across all three titles and Mirror editor Richard Wallace take on responsibility for the new ‘content and production hub”.

In 2010 Trinity Mirror axed around 200 editorial staff – equivalent to around one in four journalists – across the three papers.

Proposals include:

The creation of a centralised reporting and production hub with teams working across all three titles
The retention of editorial teams for each title to protect their ‘unique identity”.
The introduction of a ‘peak-time resourcing plan’that will allow editors ‘access to a greater number of reporters than is currently available to them on an individual basis and shorter shifts in production will maintain staffing levels in peak periods”.
An increase in the ‘range and depth of regional coverage’with an undisclosed number of district reporters set to be recruited,
Further development of ‘outsourcing capabilities’and an increase in the number of pages sent to the Press Association for subediting.

Trinity said the latest restructuring represents the ‘next stage in its aim to create one of the most technologically-advanced and operationally-efficient multimedia newsrooms in Europe”.

‘The proposals will ensure the national titles are able to meet the economic challenges facing the industry and the technological revolution changing the way that readers obtain information,’it added.

Wallace will continue in his role as Daily Mirror editor and along with Sunday Mirror editor Tina Weaver and People editor Lloyd Embley will continue to report to Mark Hollinshead, the managing director of Trinity Mirror’s nationals division.

Both full and part-time staff are at risk of redundancy but Trinity said it aimed to make as many voluntary redundancies as possible and has entered into a consultation period with all affected staff.

Last year the company made significant editorial redundancies in Scotland, Wales, and Midlands and Newcastle.

The NUJ has condemned Trinity’s “shock announcement”, saying: “The cull comes after the total directors’ pay and pensions bill for Trinity Mirror last year was £3.9million – £1.3million of which was cash bonuses.

“Of that, Sly Bailey’s package of pay and pensions was a staggering £1.7m, including a cash bonus of £660k. However, the share price for Trinity Mirror today is 48p whereas 12 months ago it was 90p.”

General secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: ‘These cuts represent a depressingly familiar tale at Trinity Mirror.

“Rather than invest in quality products – and continue to build on recent growth in circulation on the Sunday titles – the strategy is to cut jobs and compromise quality journalism.

“Where is the strategy for growth and the future? Journalists are paying with their jobs for the corporate mismanagement and incompetence of Sly Bailey and her senior executives – yet still they continue to award themselves lavish pay.’

Topics in this article : NUJ