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Journalists unite to strike over relocation

Journalists in Bradford, York and Darlington strike to defend their jobs

Journalists in Bradford, York and Darlington were on picket lines yesterday in a 24-hour strike to defend their jobs from bosses' plans to send their jobs to Wales.

Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) at daily newspapers the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, York Press and Northern Echo in Darlington, and associated weekly papers and magazines, are resisting management plans to transfer subediting work to Newport in Wales.

The papers are owned by regional newspaper group Newsquest, which is part of United States conglomerate Gannet.

The union warned that 25 jobs were at risk at the three centres and that quality local journalism is under threat from the transfer of work to Wales.

Despite that, the mood on the picket lines was buoyant.

Speaking from the Bradford picket line, chapel father (union branch chairman) Bob Smith said: "Everyone is in good heart. We are fine.

"We are getting a lot of support from the people of Bradford. What we are fighting for is quality local journalism and I think the people of Bradford understand that."

NUJ Northern and Midlands organiser Chris Morley was also on the picket line in Bradford holding a bunch of 25 leeks to present to management - symbolic of the plan to "leak" 25 jobs from Yorkshire and north-east to Wales.

Newsquest bosses put out a statement which he described as "pure fiction."

He said: "They have made a spurious claim that no-one will be made redundant.

"The truth is that 25 jobs are threatened. That is why our members are on strike."

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