Video: Brighton Argus journalists picket to keep paper local

Today members of the National Union of Journalists from the Brighton Argus take to the picket line for a second day of strikes, to protest plans by parent company Newsquest to relocate the paper's subbing operations to Southampton.

According to the NUJ, the move means the loss of seven jobs at the paper.

The frustration felt by staff in Brighton is far from limited to the south-east. For the past few weeks ballots for industrial action have been carried out at a number of Newsquest-owned titles across the country. Members at Newsquest Northeast have started to ballot for industrial action against proposed redundancies and a continuing pay freeze while members at Newsquest's Blackburn centre have voted unanimously to also ballot for action.

The second round of strikes planned by the union's Southampton chapel and staff at the Southern Daily Echo were called off last week and an announcement of talks with the company quickly followed. But despite confirming a meeting would take place, Echo editor-in-chief Ian Murray told Journalism.co.uk yesterday that the pay freeze and closure of the pension scheme would not be a matter for negotiation.

Journalism.co.uk visited the Brighton Argus picket line to hear more from the striking journalists and those who have lost their jobs.

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