'Enfield Nine' in unanimous vote for further strike action

Journalists at Tindle Newspapers in Enfield have voted unanimously in favour of strike action, in an ongoing dispute over staff shortages.

In an announcement today, the members of the National Union of Journalists at the publisher's North London and Herts division, who call themselves the "Enfield Nine", said the editor of the titles also joined the ballot for the first time.

The result followed "management's refusal to meet or even discuss the desperate  situation at the Enfield-based papers, where two thirds of the newsdesk have left without being replaced," the group claimed.

If action goes ahead it will be the second strike to be carried out by the group, who took industrial action in April in protest at the quality of the newspapers being produced.

Journalism.co.uk later reported the strike action won no concessions from the company's management.

A ballot for further action last month was also prompted by an announcement that freelancers are to be cut in a bid to make savings.

The nine striking members include the reporters, photographers and sub editors working on the region's titles, which includes the Enfield Advertiser and Gazette, the Haringey Advertiser, and the Edgware and Mill Hill Press.

Before the previous strike the journalists claimed more than a third of editorial staff have left without being replaced with just three reporters "churning out nine newspapers every week".

Today they said another journalist has since handed in their notice and there has been "no word" of a replacement.

"The battle for the soul of the local press is raging up and down the country and now is the time for chapels, journalists and concerned readers to stand up and be counted before it is too late and fantastic local papers that once made a difference in their communities are consigned to the scrap heap," Jonathan Lovett, father of the chapel, said today.

It was also announced that the National Union of Journalists has chosen Enfield as the setting for the launch of a national campaign to save local newspapers.

A public forum will take place at 6.30pm on 4 July at the Dugdale Centre, Enfield Town.

Lovett told Journalism.co.uk industrial action may fall around this day, which he said would be "quite apt".

"We're going to sit down with our union rep and work out what dates, what's going to happen and how long for".

No one was available for comment from Tindle Newspapers at the time of writing.

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