This time next week, journalists on Trinity Mirror’s titles in the midlands are likely to have staged a strike in defence of jobs and journalism in the region and be planning their next move.

After a massive vote in favour, the members at the Birmingham Post and Mail, Coventry Telegraph, Sunday Mercury and Midlands Weekly Media titles plan to walk out on Thursday 30 July.

That is unless Trinity management agrees to sit down and talk seriously about how to save the nine titles facing the axe.

While members will be hoping for the best, they will also be planning to stage a bigger strike than was seen in Leeds earlier this year. There are around 150 NUJ members employed by Trinity in the midlands.

This action is likely to boost the confidence of other Trinity chapels in Newcastle and Middlesbrough currently balloting for industrial action over job cuts.

This dispute has been characterised by shameful actions on the part of management. It first accused the union of scaremongering for reporting on the company plans before they were revealed, even though the actual announcement outlined even more closures, and then underplayed the ballot result.

The company issued a statement that said only 45% of journalists voted for a strike. But that claim is as predictable as it is meaningless.

No ballot ever yields a 100% turnout and, given more people voted in their chapel meetings to hold the strike than had voted for action in the ballots, we might just as well tot up the uncast votes for ourselves and claim an even higher percentage ‘yes’ vote than the one we got.

But there was something else the company said in its statement that was similarly predictable, though this time not so meaningless. Describing the union, it said “this action will not benefit their members in any way whatsoever”.

Their members; as if “the union” was something beyond the journalists whose jobs and livelihoods are at stake here and elsewhere.

Trinity bosses must know this is not the case. This was a calculated move to try to distance its own employees from the decision, and it betrays disdain for union organisation and its workforce.

NUJ members, Trinity Mirror employees, have voted massively for a strike because they have lost faith in the ability of their managers to manage.

For the good of the Trinity workers’ jobs and the future of local journalism in the region, management need to use this next week to talk and listen.

If they don’t there will be a strike and if there is, it will be well supported. Not only in the midlands, but by every NUJ member across the country.

And it could light the touch paper for fireworks across the group.

Posted by Rich Simcox

Tags: industrial action, job cuts, National Union of Journalists, NUJ, strike, Trinity Mirror