JOURNALISTS at a newspaper group have withdrawn plans to strike later in August and next month in a dispute over compulsory redundancies.
Journalists at National World Scotsman Publications, including The Scotsman, Edinburgh Evening News and Scotland on Sunday, had been due to walk out on August 26 and September 2.
Staff had voted for industrial action over compulsory redundancies following ballots, and separate action for those employed at the company’s Scottish Weeklies.
However, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said it has withdrawn plans for strikes on the dates previously announced.
A spokesman said: “Our reason for doing so is that our members affected do not wish the union to pursue industrial action on their behalf.
“However, there are issues arising from the jobs losses – there will be fewer staff and there is a restructure taking place.
“We need information about how this will affect workloads and working hours and have approached the company for an urgent meeting to discuss these in detail.”
A National World spokesman said: “National World received notification that the NUJ is no longer planning strike action.
“National World has consistently held the view that industrial action is not in the best interests of our staff or the business and we are pleased the NUJ has seen this to be the case.
“We hope this marks the opportunity to move forward in a constructive manner as we restructure the business for a successful future embracing the opportunities for growing digital and ensuring a sustainable model for print.”
