Journalists at STV have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in response to proposals to cut 60 jobs and eliminate the dedicated news program for the north of Scotland. The ballot result shows 94 percent of National Union of Journalists members backed strikes, with 98 percent supporting action short of strikes – a major escalation in the dispute over the broadcaster's restructuring plans.
The turnout reached 82 percent of eligible NUJ members at STV. Half of the proposed redundancies are reportedly in the newsroom. The broadcaster plans to replace the STV North edition of the News At 6 and central belt news with a single program from Glasgow, including regional news sections.
Union vows to fight job cuts
Nick McGowan-Lowe, NUJ national organiser for Scotland, emphasized the significance of the result. He said: «Voting for industrial action is a step that no worker takes lightly. This result shows the strength of feeling within our members at STV, both around the cuts, and the way in which management has handled them.»
McGowan-Lowe added: «The plan they are proposing for axing the STV North edition of the News At 6 is bad for viewers, bad for journalism, and bad for the North of Scotland. This is a dispute about quality journalism, and making sure the north of Scotland can continue to have access to reliable, trusted, quality news coverage that is routed in their communities. We will continue to fight for every single job in the newsroom.»
STV defends restructuring plan
Rufus Radcliffe, chief executive of STV, called the ballot result "disappointing." He said: «Today's ballot result is disappointing, especially when the consultation process has not yet concluded and we are making significant progress through voluntary redundancy and redeployment. As a result, we expect the number of those impacted on a compulsory basis to be very small.»
Radcliffe defended the proposals: «Our proposals will protect local journalism and ensure STV News is financially sustainable. This kind of change is never easy, and our focus continues to be on supporting our colleagues through a period of essential change.»
The broadcaster attributes the cost-saving program to challenging trading conditions in the advertising and content commissioning markets, as well as structural changes in viewing habits. Some of STV's proposals require approval from Ofcom, with a public consultation expected in the next few weeks.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
