UNION REPRESENTATIVES at one of the country’s oldest newspapers are turning to the Labour Relations Commission to prevent the loss of almost half the company’s workforce.
Management at the Munster Expressnewspaper in Waterford city said last month it needed to make 11 of 24 staff redundant as part of a cost-cutting exercise.
The Unite trade union put forward a restructuring plan aimed at saving some of those jobs but that proposal has been rejected by management. The union will now make representations to the LRC to try to “lessen the blow” of the proposed redundancy plan.
“We were asked to put forward alternative plans which would maintain as many jobs as possible,” Unite regional officer Brendan Byrne said yesterday.
“But it appears this was only window dressing and that the management never had any intention of considering plans from the workforce. It appears the only intention was to kill off the printing and production side of the paper in its home town.”
He described details of the “savage cuts to a once-proud title” as a “shocking blow” to people who had put their lives into the newspaper.
"Unite members were faced with similar cuts at the Connaught Telegraphand Mayo Starearlier this year and we were able to save some jobs because of a willingness on the part of management to see how important local employment is to their readership," Mr Byrne said. "That recognition has not been made in Waterford, but none of the proposed outsourcing to other areas of the country can take place unless agreement is reached with the whole workforce over the treatment of those whose jobs are on the line."
The union organiser warned that any savings the company thought it would make would be offset "when the people of Waterford realise that the Munster Expressis now 'their' paper in a lesser way than it was before".