NUJ strikes at Daily Record and Sunday Mail

NUJ members at the Daily Record and Sunday Mail have been striking against job cuts.  

The NUJ have reported that a mass meeting in Glasgow expressed disgust about the way individuals were told they were compulsorily redundant. Union members called for the reinstatement of the 20 odd journalists selected for the chop and demanded the union pursue every way at their disposal to challenge the dismissals. 

Paul Holleran, NUJ Scottish Organiser, backed the call and told the meeting “We will step up industrial action, taking more strike action next week as well as pursuing all legal action possible, both collectively and on behalf of individuals. “It is also time for the politicians to put more pressure on the people at the top of the table at the Record and Mail and demand reinstatement of our members.” 

The unanimous motion of no confidence named managing director Mark Hollinshead and HR director Lesley Somerville. NUJ members slammed Trinity Mirror HR director Somerville over the way the redundancy selection had been handled. Paul Holleran said: “One member was told he was bottom of the list, marked on technical ability, absenteeism and discipline. 

“He was somewhat surprised as he has just been nominated for two awards, he has only been off a handful of times in all his years at the company and had no disciplinary record. He told me the others must be very good if he was bottom of the lot. “It is a disgrace and we will expose and pursue this and other examples like this in the courts.” 

Donations for the Record and Mail chapel should be made payable to the ‘Alan Hutcheson Fund’ and sent to NUJ Scotland, Third Floor, 114, Union Street, Glasgow, G1 3QQ.