Outspoken Johnston Press editor made redundant

Jim Oldfield, the editor of the South Yorkshire Times who is supporting an indefinite NUJ strike at Johnston Press-owned South Yorkshire Newspapers over job cuts, has been made redundant.



Oldfield was told of his redundancy in a letter sent to his home by courier this week. He has a right to appeal. The NUJ will consider taking his case to a tribunal, alleging unfair dismissal.



Oldfield insisted on running stories in the South Yorkshire Times about the proposed job cuts before NUJ members took strike action and at an NUJ meeting in London last month he then revealed his salary and those of other members of the editorial staff.



He said his annual pay after 37 years in journalism, which has included working for the national press, was £25,500 and trainee journalists at South Yorkshire Newspapers were on £14,000; page designers £15,000; senior reporters £18,000; and assistant editors £24,000.



In contrast, he said the union had discovered that the company's former md at South Yorkshire Newspapers was on £91,000.



Oldfield estimated that Johnston Press has cut more than 230 journalists' jobs in the last year. "They've nothing left to asset strip and are now picking at the bones to make a thin stew," he claimed.



He also alleged he and other NUJ members at South Yorkshire Newspapers had been targeted for redundancy because they were in the union.



Oldfield revealed he had got a story about the impending strike into the South Yorkshire Times but only after a five-and-a-half hour stand-off with Johnston Press management as the paper was due to go to print.



UPDATE: Jim Oldfield on his redundancy and campaign for a Parly investigation into regional newspaper ownership.

• More South Yorkshire Newspapers pay figures here and how they compare to other workers.
• Francois Nel at UCLAN in Preston has started a survey of journalists' pay after reading my post in which I reported the pay figures given by Jim Oldfield.
• The NUJ has written to John Fry, the chief executive of Johnston Press, calling for an investigation into the methods used to break the strike at South Yorkshire Newspapers which, according to the union, have included using a 16-year-old on unpaid work experience and the student son of the SYN md.
• Pic: Jon Slattery
  
  

Striking editor reveals Johnston Press editorial pay

Jim Oldfield, the editor of the South Yorkshire Times who is supporting an indefinite NUJ strike starting today at Johnston Press-owned South Yorkshire Newspapers over redundancies, has revealed his salary and those of other members of the editorial staff.

Speaking at an NUJ meeting in London last night, Oldfield said his annual pay after 37 years in journalism, which has included working for the national press, is £25,500.

Oldfield said trainee journalists at South Yorkshire Newspapers were on £14,000; page designers £15,000; senior reporters £18,000; and assistant editors £24,000.

"How can we continue to attract and keep the people we need to get the news stories that keep this country free?," he said. "It's a scandal."

In contrast, he said the union had discovered that the company's former md at South Yorkshire Newspapers was on £91,000.

Oldfield estimated that Johnston Press have cut more than 230 journalists' jobs in the last year. "They've nothing left to asset strip and are now picking at the bones to make a thin stew."

He claimed that he and other NUJ members at South Yorkshire Newspapers had been targeted for redundancy because they were in the union.

Oldfield also revealed that he had got a story about the strike into this week's issue of the South Yorkshire Times but only after a five-and-a-half hour stand-off with Johnston Press management as the paper was due to go to print.

• More South Yorkshire Newspapers pay figures here and how they compare to other workers.
• Francois Nel at UCLAN in Preston has started a survey of journalists' pay after reading this post.
  

Pic: Jon Slattery

South Yorkshire NUJ journalists vote to strike

South Yorkshire Newspapers NUJ chapel has voted 100% in favour of strike action on a 90% turnout.

It follows the move by Johnston Press to make half of the South Yorkshire Times' editorial staff in Mexborough redundant. The editor, the editorial assistant and a reporter, out of a staff of six, are facing losing their jobs.

South Yorkshire Times editor Jim Oldfield has been praised by the NUJ for giving space to the dispute in his paper.

• Via Lawrence Shaw on Twitter

Editor puts paper's NUJ strike story on front page

The NUJ today congratulated the editor of the South Yorkshire Times for putting details of a potential journalists' strike against editorial job cuts at the Johnston Press-owned paper on the front page of the newspaper this week.

It follows the Johnston Press move to make half of the paper's editorial staff in Mexborough redundant. The editor, the editorial assistant and a reporter, out of a staff of six, are facing losing their jobs.

NUJ members at South Yorkshire Newspapers have already voted unanimously to ballot for strike action over the proposed redundancies.

South Yorkshire Times editor Jim Oldfield said: "This is real journalism in action. The Times is currently fighting a brave and protracted battle to keep its core towns from decimation during this recession, I make no apology for acquainting our readers with the changes being proposed for their champion title.

"I am pleased that the company appear to have had an adult reaction to the story."

NUJ Northern and Midlands regional organiser Chris Morley said: “So often news about local job cuts and industrial action are given prominence in local and regional newspapers – except when those newspapers are the subject for these.

“It is time editors stopped self-censoring their newspapers for fear of displeasing the corporate owners who are robbing them of the editorial resources to produce their own newspaper and website. I congratulate the editor of the South Yorkshire Times for being prepared to carry out his duty to the community his newspaper serves. It is important readers know the facts about the cuts and that Johnston Press hear from the staff and communities affected by the their cuts."

NUJ general secretary-elect Michelle Stanistreet said: "This is a great example of our members standing up for quality journalism and we hope other editors will follow the example set by the South Yorkshire Times."

• Click on 'Strike looms' story to make it bigger if you can't read it. In a statement, carried inside the South Yorkshire Times, a JP spokesman said the company is planning a new multimedia editorial hub in Doncaster and the new plans "will allow the South Yorkshire Times and its sister titles to meet the challenges faced by newspapers in today's very tough economic marketplace."
  

South Yorkshire journalists to ballot on action

Nearly twenty journalists at the Johnston Press-owned South Yorkshire Newspapers are to ballot on industrial action over 18 threatened redundancies after members of the NUJ chapel voted no confidence in their management.

The NUJ claims the redundancies would cause particular damage to the weekly South Yorkshire Times title at its office in Mexborough.

NUJ Northern and Midlands organiser Chris Morley said: "Management’s proposals show how flimsy are the Johnston Press claims to believe in local journalism to serve the communities where its newspapers circulate.

"The company has chosen to attack the editorial department of one of the best performing titles for circulation in its stable. The South Yorkshire Times has fought hard for its reputation as a campaigning newspaper that digs out stories people want to read but this seems to cut no ice with the corporate bean counters.

"Our members are in no mood to accept these wholesale cuts which merely undermine the jobs that remain for the future. It is a disastrous blend of hopelessness and defeatism and shows that Johnston Press has no idea or strategy to grow the business or defend its staff and customers with a positive strategy.”

More jobs to go at Johnston Press in the North

Journalists at Johnston Press centres in South Yorkshire and Humberside face more job cuts under plans unveiled to staff today, says the NUJ.

The cuts, part of 18 redundancies sought across South Yorkshire Newspapers, would have most impact on the weekly South Yorkshire Times, according to the union.

The NUJ says the proposals include closure of the Goole Courier's office and the reduction of the editor's role at both Goole and Mexborough leaving a single editor based at the Selby Times' office to manage all three titles.

In addition,a reporter's role at Mexborough as well as an editorial assistant's post would be cut. Journalists working at the Doncaster centre for the sister Sheffield Star title are also being told that they will now report to the Doncaster editor-in-chief, as well as Sheffield editorial management.

The NUJ added that the company has blamed the cut-backs, which it wants to conclude within a month, on "underperforming advertising and circulation" and the need to reduce costs.

NUJ members will be holding an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the developments.

Chris Morley, NUJ Northern & Midlands Organiser, said: "These proposals show how flimsy are Johnston Press's claims to believe in local journalism to serve the communities where its newspapers circulate. How can a newspaper and website properly engage with the town when it has no editor?

"The ironic element here is that in this announcement, the company has chosen to attack the editorial department of one of the best performing title for circulation in its stable. The South Yorkshire Times has fought hard for its reputation as a campaigning newspaper that digs out stories people want to read but this seems to cut no ice with the corporate bean counters."

• More grim news for regional newspaper jobs. HoldtheFrontPage reports today: "Trinity Mirror is set to axe 26 jobs in Newcastle as one of its flagship evening titles moves to early-morning printing. The Newcastle Evening Chronicle, currently printed mid-morning, is to move to a single-edition structure with the aim of getting the paper into shops 2-3 hours earlier. It will mean a restructure in the editorial department that places 11 jobs at risk of redundancy, with a further 15 print jobs also under threat."
• On Monday the NUJ warned of a journalism jobs meltdown across the industry, in broadcasting and print, even before the latests job cuts were revealed.