THE Daily Record and Sunday Mail newspapers are to be hit by strike action last from early Friday morning, for 48 hours.
It follows last week’s announcement that 24 editorial staff had been selected for compulsory redundancy and follows a ballot of members of the National Union of Journalists opposing any compulsory redundancies.
In February, publishers, Trinity Mirror, had said up to 70 posts were liable to go at the two titles.
Last week, around 33 applications for voluntary redundancy had been approved. This coming weekend will be the third in succession to have been targeted for strike action, the previous two lasting 24 hours.
In between, there has been a work-to-rule. The 48-hour walkout begins a minute after midnight on Frdiay morning.
And on Monday, the NUJ and management are expected to meet at arbitration and conciliation service, ACAS.
The union believes it has adopted a compromise approach of seeking voluntary redundancies and other savings, short of compulsory job cuts, as a way of allowing the papers fight off the economic recession, including a decline in sales.
“The evidence is that management need our goodwill,” says NUJ Scottish Organiser, Paul Holleran.
“Our compromise is still stands. The papers can’t be put out without our goodwill, the [planned] new editorial production system can’t be implemented without our goodwill.”
