Update on cuts at Trinity Mirror’s Media Wales – 15 (.2) jobs at risk

Yesterday we reported how 13.2 jobs could go at Media Wales, subsidary of Trinity Mirror which publishes The Western Mail, The South Wales Echo, Wales on Sunday and the Celtic series of weekly papers.

Union members at Media Wales will hold a strike ballot, after they were not guaranteed there would be no compulsory redundancies. Two weekly newspapers, the Neath and Port Talbot Guardians, which Trinity Mirror says are loss-making, will also be closed.

We asked TM why the extra 0.2 of a job? It’s a part-time role but in fact, the total anticipated redundancies amount to ‘approximately 15’ a spokesperson said. So, in fact, it’s 15.2: 12 full-time roles at the surviving newspapers; and three full-time and one part-time at the two weeklies due to be closed in October.

Trinity Mirror has responded to the strike ballot with this statement:

“We are disappointed that the NUJ has chosen this course of action which does nothing to address the commercial challenges facing Media Wales. However, we are continuing to work with the NUJ and all staff to try to achieve these necessary changes through voluntary means.”

“Since the introduction of our multimedia newsroom in April 2008, we have continued to review its progress and to seek new ways of improving the way we work. We now believe the time is right, when taking the economic conditions into account, to make further changes to build on what we have achieved,” said Alan Edmunds, publishing director, Media Wales.

“The decision to cease publication of the Neath and Port Talbot Guardians reflects the challenging economic conditions affecting our local advertising markets and a declining trend in weekly newspaper sales,” said Sara Wilde, regional managing mirector, Trinity Mirror North West and Wales.

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