Mirror group journalists vote for strike

Mirror group journalists have voted in favour of a strike over proposed job cuts. Eighty-three of the 159 members of the British Association of Journalists have returned ballots, with 65% (54 people) voted for the action. Now members will discuss a range of options that include stoppages lasting just a few hours, a half-day or 24 hours. The BAJ is expected to work with members of the National Union of Journalists to coordinate strike action. Meanwhile, talks continue. Trinity Mirror , the publisher of the three affected titles - the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People - point out that the vote of 54 journalists equates to only 13% of the 410 full-time staff involved in redundancy consultations. A spokesman said the company would challenge the vote. He added: "We have been advised that the format and conduct of the strike ballot was deeply flawed. We have now asked the BAJ to confirm that they will not call for a strike based on this result." I understand that more than 30 staff have approached Trinity Mirror management about taking up the redundancy offer. Sources: BAJ/Trinity Mirror