Journalists on the Sheffield Star and its sister titles have voted for strike action in protest at proposed job cuts.
Press Gazette understands the entire 43-person Star National Union of Journalists chapel took part in the ballot, with 65 per cent (28 staff) voting in favour of strike action and 35 per cent (15 people) voting against.
The chapel is set to meet later this week to determine a suitable course of action.
The vote for industrial action comes just days after John Furbisher stepped down as editor of the Sheffield Star, a post he had held for just over a year.
Related
The strike vote was set in motion earlier this month by the NUJ over fears that up to ten jobs – around half its current workforce – could be lost from Sheffield’s subbing ‘hub’.
The hub was created nine months ago to take on production duties for Johnston Press papers in the North East and Yorkshire.
Notification of the strike vote moved Johnston Press to assure staff that its plans to cut production staff in Sheffield would not lead to overall job losses.
Johnston Press told staff that following a review of the Sheffield subbing team it proposed to reduce staff numbers by 9.5 full-time roles, while creating five new posts.
Job losses would be offset by redeployment, the company said, as an additional 18 editorial roles were available within the North Midlands/South Yorkshire region.
However, staff fear that compulsorily redundancies could still be likely.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
