Newsquest Strike
An emergency meeting is being held by staff at Newsquest titles in Bradford tonight after 18 jobs were put at risk by plans to merge resources, the National Union of Journalists claims.

According to a release from the union, 18 journalists at the Bradford Telegraph & Argus, Ilkley Gazette, Wharfedale & Airedale Observer and the Keighley News face losing their jobs and having to reapply for 16 replacement posts.

"In reality, this means that the whole of Keighley and Ilkley reporting staff, bar one trainee, are being proposed for redundancy; all photographers except the Craven Herald photographer and a trainee are at risk of losing their jobs, along with two editors, senior editorial staff and newsdesk staff," the release says.

"Having already taken a decision to ballot for industrial action around the closure of the pensions scheme, the chapel are holding an emergency chapel meeting tonight to decide on their response to this latest attack."

Ballots for industrial action and strikes have been carried out at a number of Newsquest-owned titles across the country in response to an ongoing pay freeze and closure of the final salary pension scheme. The Brighton Argus today held the first of two days of strike action against plans to relocate its subbing operations.

Southern Daily Echo editor-in-chief Ian Murray told Journalism.co.uk the company had agreed to speak to the union in relation to action by members of its Southampton chapel, after they cancelled their second round of strikes, but he said the pay freeze and closure of the pension scheme would not be up for discussion in talks.
 
The NUJ's northern regional organiser, Chris Morley said the union will fight the latest proposals.

"There seems no depths to which Newsquest will go to damage its own titles and put at risk the livelihoods of our members," he said in the release.

"There is already huge anger being generated by the treadmill of cuts from a permanent pay freeze to arrogant closure of the final salary pension scheme, but this has gone down like a lead balloon with our members at Newsquest's Bradford centre.
 
"We shall fight these unrealistic proposals in every way we can."

In the union release, Bob Smith, father of chapel at both Newsquest Bradford and the UK-wide Newsquest group, is quoted as saying that editor of the Bradford Telegraph & Argus, Perry Austin-Clarke, told staff the newspapers could provide "far more efficient coverage" by merging resources.

Newsquest has been approached but said that no one was available to comment at this time.

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