Cutbacks

Staff at the Belfast Telegraph, Northern Ireland's biggest selling daily, are to ballot on industrial action wi...thin the next fortnight over planned redundancies at the paper.
At the start of the year management announced a voluntary redundancy scheme for all staff members working in the Belfast Telegraph, Community Telegraph and Sunday Life. Sixteen of the 115 editorial staff opted for the redundancy package.
However in February the numbers shifted with management apparently seeking a 25 per cent cut in the editorial staff.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has tabled a motion expressing no confidence in the management and allowing members to work to rule in protest at the cuts.
The paper was bought over by Tony O'Reilly's Independent News and Media group in 2000.
NUJ organiser Des Fagan said the acquisition was approved partly because of assurances that no jobs would go at the paper.
“I have no doubt that the acquisition would not have been approved if a slash-and-burn policy had been outlined to the commission,” he said.
In February 2005, the Belfast Telegraph launched a morning edition, however sales have been poor.
Meanwhile Daily Ireland announced last week that it is to stop printing its Saturday edition and concentrate on a five day a week model.
The latest ABC figures show actively purchased full price sales standing at just over 8,700 copies.
However bulk give-aways and cut price sales bring the total up to just over 10,000.
Publisher Máirtín O'Muilleoir said he was confident the paper would move forward despite the difficulties it has faced since its launch in February 2005.
The paper is to relaunch in the coming months with the strapline Daily Ireland – The Republican Daily.
Colm Heatley