Enfield Nine: 'We've suggested ways to save titles'

Nine NUJ journalists, who are starting a second week of strike action at North London & Herts Newspapers over staff shortages, have hit back at claims by Tindle Newspapers' management that they have offered no suggestions on how to stop their newspapers' financial losses.

The strikers, who last week held a mock funeral for their titles in Enfield, say members of the public who have written to their owner Sir Ray Tindle about the strike action over non-replacement of editorial staff have received a letter claiming: "We asked the whole staff, particularly the journalists, to join with management to seek a solution to the huge losses the papers were making. The only reply was seven days' notice of a strike."

In response, the "Enfield Nine" claim they have suggested numerous revenue-boosting ideas to advertising management, including; a teen model search, a male-targeted magazine supplement, photosales specials, education-related editions, distribution reshuffles, several competition ideas and web-savvy initiatives.

They say these are in addition to a monthly supplement called Families In The Loop which editorial staff pitched to management and is now a 12-page monthly edition successfully bringing in a new source of revenue.

Father of the NUJ chapel Jonathan Lovett said: "The suggestion by management that we have been unhelpful is a downright lie.

"As well as producing nine newspapers in addition to our extensive workload, we have given numerous ideas to management to raise the bottom line. The majority of these have been ignored apart from a successful monthly supplement for families which has done well and showed how far our staff are prepared to collaborate and put in the extra hours.

"It is patronising and simplistic to suggest we have not considered the commercial reality of our situation when we are made all too painfully aware of it on a daily basis."

• I've done articles on the strike for the Camden New Journal and TheMediaBriefing.
  

Pic: Journalists on strike outside the Enfield office (Jon Slattery)

Tindle strike: It's the grim reaper up North London

Journalists planning to strike at the Sir Ray Tindle owned-North London & Herts Newspaper group say they will hold a funeral procession for their titles through Enfield on Wednesday.

The NUJ chapel says the procession will include the grim reaper and a "a priest reading out the last rites over the corpse of our newspapers."

The journalists are protesting at low staffing levels and say journalists are not being replaced. The strike action is due to start at 8.30am tomorrow morning for two weeks with a protest outside the North London & Herts Newspapers offices in Enfield.

The chapel said in a statement: "We are taking action over Sir Ray Tindle’s refusal to replace members of staff, leaving our formerly award-winning newspapers to dwindle and die."

The "funeral procession" on Wednesday starts at noon.

Tindle Newspapers says it regrets the decision of the chapel and says the company was unable to take on new people or increase pay because of the North London centre's rising losses. It also says Tindle Newspapers is the only newspaper group not to have made journalists redundant during the recession.

North London & Herts Newspapers comprises: The Enfield Advertiser, The Edmonton Advertiser, The Winchmore Hill Advertiser & Herald, The Enfield Gazette, The Barnet & Potters Bar Press, The East Barnet Press & Advertiser, The Edgware & Mill Hill Press, The Hendon & Finchley Press and The Haringey Advertiser.

Pic: NUJ chapel North London & Herts Newspapers