Workers Solidarity Movement

Print workers threatened with redundancy at the Belfast Telegraph have started a campaign to save their jobs and keep the print run of the newspaper in the city beginning with a rally outside its premises on Saturday.

Over 100 people attended the protest organised by Unite including representatives from the NUJ and Independent Workers Union after the company announced that the day shift printing of the newspaper was moving to its Newry plant from March and that 24 employees working in the Belfast department would lose their jobs claiming ‘economic reasons.’ Speakers from the rally included the Belfast Trades Council and the National Union of Journalists.

Despite the fact that the Independent News and Media operations makes 10 million profit every year and since 2008 the company has ripped up local agreements and given no pay rises to its workers. This is a wider assault with bosses using the economic recession to erode workers rights and conditions and must be opposed by all means at our disposal including occupations and strike action.