MSPs attack redundancy plan at the Herald

Published on Thursday 4 December 2008 22:01

THE decision by the owners of the Herald newspaper to make all their staff redundant and force them to reapply for their old jobs was condemned by MSPs yesterday.

Alex Salmond, the First Minister, led the attack on Newsquest and warned that the newspaper group should consider its "credibility".

During First Minister's questions, he also urged management to get round the negotiating table with unions at the Glasgow-based Herald group, which also includes the Evening Times and Sunday Herald titles.

The group has informed its 250 staff to reapply for their positions, but it is expected that up to 40 will not be re-employed.

Mr Salmond said: "I think it would be better if the management went into negotiations with the unions.

"This is a difficult time for the Scottish media and the Scottish press. There's a range of possible redundancies across a number of outlets.

"But nonetheless it would be far better to approach these in a manner of negotiation between management and unions."

He added that if another company had dealt with its employees in a similar manner, the Herald would be attacking it, and he warned that by acting in this way now, the owners had damaged the newspaper's credibility.

Labour's Pauline McNeill, the constituency MSP for the newspaper group's offices, branded the move by management as "draconian employment practice in a modern Scotland" and said it should be "condemned".

She called on Mr Salmond to urge management to negotiate with trade unions on the issue for a "fairer process and a properly negotiated outcome".

Concerns about developments at the Herald were also expressed by many MSPs in a debate on the future of broadcasting, put forward by the Conservatives yesterday.

Labour MSP David Whitton, a former newspaper and TV journalist, criticised the Herald group's management.

"Some of those people are my constituents," he said. "And, as a former father-of-the-chapel (union representative) at STV, I am absolutely disgusted at the tactics of their management."

There was also concern expressed in Holyrood yesterday for the future of STV, with ITV bosses wanting to scrap it in favour of a UK-wide ITV.

STV has put in a submission to Ofcom's review of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) rejecting the claims by ITV that it subsidises the smaller companies and stating that it should continue.

And MSPs backed STV in a vote yesterday on a Conservative motion put forward by former STV producer Ted Brocklebank.

All the MSPs backed the motion, apart from the 49 SNP members who abstained.

"There are understandable fears that a nationwide ITV could actually compete head-to-head with STV in Scotland," said Mr Brocklebank.

"So, in the turbulent, ever-changing world of broadcasting, should we care if our main commercial channel goes to the wall? I believe this parliament should be extremely concerned."

The debate also highlighted concerns that BBC Scotland appears to be cutting back, with the announcement of 20 redundancies this week.