MEN Media and NUJ agree on restructure

A joint statement from MEN Media, publisher of the Manchester Evening News and weekly newspapers in the North West, and the NUJ says they have reached an agreement over the restructure of the group.
The agreement will see the number of compulsory redundancies at the MEN cut from 16 to 11 and means the NUJ has agreed to make its ballot on industrial action against job cuts null and void.
The statement says: “MEN Media Limited and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) have reached agreement on the re-structure of MEN Media’s newspapers in the North West. The Company has agreed to the introduction of a new pay grade for journalists previously working solely on weekly titles. This new grade will take effect in 2010.
"The NUJ has declared its recent ballots for industrial action to be null and void. Unfortunately, 11 journalists from the MEN will be made redundant by compulsory means. This is a reduction of five from earlier proposals.
"The total number of editorial redundancies across MEN Media is 70. These redundancies will take place later this year. Talks will start immediately on a new house agreement to encompass all three NUJ chapels.
"The agreement means that all MEN Media journalists will be based in Scott Place, Manchester by early October 2009. Both MEN Media and the NUJ record their intention to work together to ensure the editorial re-structure is successful and that this agreement,reached after a great deal of negotiation, should become a landmark in their future relationship.
"They also record their commitment to the newspapers they produce and the communities, readers and advertisers they serve.”
MEN NUJ MoC Judy Gordon told journalism.co.uk “Our chapel is pleased to have saved five jobs under threat at the MEN, but bitterly disappointed that 11 of our journalists will still be made compulsorily redundant, along with 18 volunteers, five other editorial compulsories and 35 colleagues from the weeklies who have opted to go.
"It’s going to be hard to pick up the pieces of these massive changes, but we are determined to do the best we can for those who are leaving, those who remain and those weekly staff who will be joining us at Deansgate in the future. We have great faith in our journalism and believe the Greater Manchester public does too.”

MEN chapel condemns job cuts and calls for meeting with Liz Forgan and Scott Trust

The MEN NUJ chapel in Manchester has unanimously passed a motion condemning the Guardian Media Group's job cuts announced this week at MEN Media and its Surrey and Berkshire regional newspaper division.
The chapel has asked for Dame Liz Forgan and other trustees of the Scott Trust to meet them in Manchester.
The motion said: "The Chapel utterly condemns this week's announcements of sweeping job cuts at the MEN, our Greater Manchester weekly newspapers and the group's publications in Surrey and Berkshire and believes they will have a devastating effect on local democracy and regional journalism."
The Chapel said it also "rejects absolutely any compulsory journalistic redundancies,which are especially unpalatable at a time when the organisation is still making a profit. The total number of proposed redundancies is unjustifiable and unsustainable."
The motion added: "Since it is clear that these executive decisions have been demanded by the GMG board and sanctioned by the Scott Trust, we request that Dame Liz Forgan and her fellow trustees come to Manchester as soon as possible to speak to us."