Up to 18 editorial posts are to be cut on Johnston Press titles in the North, according to the National Union of Journalists.
The news follows last week’s internal email from group editor Jeremy Clifford (above), who warned the publisher’s 3000-plus employees to prepare for more job cuts.
A total of 100 jobs are to be cut, including 10 in the North East and eight in the North West.
It’s not been revealed yet which titles the job losses relate to, but Johnston Press titles in the region include the Yorkshire Post, Hartlepool Mail, Sunderland Echo, Wigan Evening Post and Blackpool Gazette.
The remaining jobs will be lost in Scotland and Northern Irelan, says the NUJ, which says the announcement had “caused panic among our members”.
An NUJ statement said: “It is very difficult to see how the company can continue to function after yet more editorial job cuts. The lack of consultation also raises concerns that this could be to make short-term savings which will ultimately be self-defeating.
“Newsrooms around the company are already carrying high levels of staff vacancies and we hope the company is fully aware of this. Meaningful talks need to happen as a matter of urgency and our members should be involved in any decisions about possible restructuring.”
Staff have been told that they have until January 29th to apply for voluntary redundancy.
The impending cuts would mean that the publisher’s editorial headcount has more than halved since 2009, according to Press Gazette.
It says that the company’s editorial and photographic staff is likely to be around 1,000, down from 2,222 just six years ago.
