'Stunned' NUJ in talks with Trinity Mirror over Daily Record job cuts

The National Union of Journalists is holding "urgent talks" with management representatives from Scotland's Daily Record after yesterday's announcement that 90 jobs were to be cut at the Record and sister title the Sunday Mail.

Journalists at the two Trinity Mirror titles were told yesterday afternoon that 90 editorial jobs – almost half of the newspapers' journalists – were under threat.

Trinity Mirror is now in a 30-day consultation period over the proposed cuts, during which it will seek voluntary redundancies.

NUJ Scottish organiser Paul Holleran said that the union was "shocked and stunned" by the announcement.

"We are absolutely shocked and stunned at the news. We are meeting with management tomorrow to discuss their proposals for handling the cuts and suggesting alternatives.

"We will be arguing such a savage cut in jobs would be destructive for the future of the Daily Record and Sunday Mail in Scotland and arguing that the company should reconsider.

"The company’s proposals would mean a significant number of editorial jobs would be taken out of Scotland and this would impact on the Daily Record and Sunday Mail’s unique Scottish identity.

"The loss of such a high volume of jobs to journalism in Scotland is totally unacceptable."

The editorial restructure planned at the newspapers will also see subbing and design "for some features and magazine pages" to a bespoke unit at the Press Association, and the sharing of non-Scottish features and news with sister titles the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the People.

Holleran spoke to BBC Radio Scotland's Newsdrive programme yesterday, saying that staff at the newspapers are "in a state of shock" and accused Trinity Mirror of "trying to turn [the Daily Record] into a regional version of the Daily Mirror".

He added that the proposed jobs cuts had "major implications for the future of indigenous newspapers in Scotland", and said that it had been suggested that staff occupy the Daily Record building in Glasgow if talks did not go well for the union.

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