The long-running and at times bitter dispute between management at Tindle Newspapers and journalists at its Enfield division has been resolved.
The dispute centred aournd dwindling staffing levels at the group that left three reporters and a news editor producing copy for nine newspaper editions, as management pursued a policy of non-replacement of editorial staff.
NUJ members went on strike for six days in April and last week voted for a second round of industrial action in the space of two months.
Father of chapel Jonathan Lovett said a compromise had been reached after a long day of negotiations with management.
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Crucially, he said that Tindle had agreed to reverse its policy of non-replacement of staff.
They will also get another reporter to work on the titles for half of the week, he said, and Tinldle has dropped the redundancy consultation it launched the day journalists went on strike in April.
‘We’re certainly satisfied with the result,’said Lovett. ‘We got the opportunity to sit down with management and we were able to come to a compromise.”
In a statement NUJ head of publishing Barry Fitzpatrick said: ‘I’m pleased that we have been able to hold genuinely positive discussions with management to resolve the differences between us.
‘Both sides recognise that producing newspapers which serve local communities properly is a business requiring commitment from everybody involved.
‘Happily, that commitment exists at North London and Herts Newspapers, helping us to resolve our dispute.
‘We look forward to engaging in further discussions with management at an early date to consider ways to advance the interests of our members and the newspapers and communities they serve.”
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