National Union or Journalists (NUJ) members at Independent Newspapers (Ireland) have rejected company plans for the contracting out of editorial production work at the group's four titles. The plan, which included a voluntary redundancy package, was rejected by 102 votes to 99.
NUJ Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley said there was an 80 per cent turnout in the ballot of all members, reflecting widespread concern at the plan to outsource editorial production jobs to external contractors.
Independent Newspapers had put forward a voluntary redundancy package offering eight weeks pay per year of service up to a maximum of €250,000. The proposal also contained a commitment to offering permanent posts to more than 90 contract staff.
"While these proposals were attractive to groups of workers, the central plank of the editorial development plan is the outsourcing of highly skilled editorial jobs and that is clearly unacceptable to the NUJ," said Mr Dooley.
"The plan to outsource sub-editing and lay-out functions strikes at the heart of newspaper production and many members are unconvinced by the assurances received from management in relation to editorial quality and independence. We now expect management to accept the outcome of the ballot and to respect the decision of the NUJ chapel."
The plan to contract out production was expected to lead to 34 job losses through voluntary redundancies, primarily in subediting and page layout/assembly, but it is understood that the final figure could be significantly higher.
A Dublin-based company, RE and D Ltd, is preparing to take over the contract to produce the pages, with the move expected to lead to significant cost savings.
"If the company wants to achieve flexibility in production, it should talk to the NUJ under the existing collective agreement," said Mr Dooley.
Human resources director at Independent Newspapers, Declan Carlyle said on behalf of the company he was disappointed with the outcome of the detailed consultation process.
He added that "detailed preparations are already in place, with a significant number of staff having already accepted the company's parting terms".
He said the company would make known its position regarding the outcome of the NUJ ballot over the coming days.