Journalists at STV have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in protest against the broadcaster’s plans to axe the STV North edition of News at 6 and make compulsory redundancies across its newsroom.
In a formal ballot organised by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), 94% voted in favour of strike action and 98% supported action short of a strike, on a turnout of 82%. Industrial action could take place before Christmas, though no specific dates have been confirmed.
The NUJ chapel at STV has already passed two separate votes of no confidence in senior management, and another in the handling of the redundancy process. The dispute centres on STV’s proposal to merge its two regional early evening news programmes – for the Central and North licence areas – into a single Scotland-wide broadcast. Up to 60 jobs are at risk across the company, half of them in news.
Some of the plans require approval from Ofcom, whose consultation on the proposals is expected to launch in the coming weeks. However, STV has confirmed that even if Ofcom rejects the merger, it still intends to shut down the Aberdeen-based News at 6 operation, with presentation moving to Glasgow and the programme being pre-recorded in the afternoon.
STV has blamed a downturn in advertising and production bookings for the cuts, citing declining revenues. The NUJ, however, accuses the company of mismanagement and argues that investment in a new commercial radio station has been prioritised over protecting journalism jobs.
The proposed changes have drawn widespread condemnation from politicians, unions, businesses and viewers. Leaders of all major Scottish political parties recently united in a joint letter urging STV to reconsider, while executives have faced tough questioning at both Holyrood and Westminster.
NUJ National Organiser for Scotland, Nick McGowan-Lowe, said the result of the ballot reflected the deep frustration among staff.
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“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,” he said.
“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 rooted in their communities. We will continue to fight for every single job in the newsroom.”
The NUJ’s dispute with STV follows previous industrial action earlier this year, when staff walked out over pay, briefly taking the News at 6 programme off air.
