Stress brings local press strike action

Members of the NUJ journalists’ union at the local newspaper group Johnston Press have voted 70% in favour of industrial action. The action is in protest at increased levels of stress and workloads caused by the introduction of the ATEX content management system.

Johnston journalists are already taking strike action in Scarborough. And they turned up to the annual shareholders’ meeting with questions about executive pay, staff morale and the pressures resulting from trying to produce quality newspapers in the face of 12% staff cuts, a pay freeze and inadequate training on the ATEX system.