Journalists at Scottish broadcaster STV have voted to strike on January 7 over controversial plans to reshape news coverage in northern Scotland. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) backed the industrial action with an overwhelming 94% support from members, escalating a bitter dispute over program restructuring and job cuts.
The strike directly targets STV's planned consolidation of its northern Scotland and central belt news programs into a single Glasgow-based show. Under the proposals, the "STV News At 6" would be produced and presented from Glasgow, with only about 30% of content dedicated to the north of Scotland. The restructuring affects 28 newsroom roles.
STV responded by moving the launch of its new STV Radio station forward by 24 hours to January 6, avoiding the strike day. A spokesperson said the industrial action "won't impact the launch of STV Radio, an exciting new growth venture for the business."
Union Demands Rethink
Nick McGowan-Lowe, NUJ national organiser for Scotland, sharply criticized management. «Our members are angry at the lack of leadership from the top of the company, angry at management's handling of the proposed changes, and angry that their colleagues are facing compulsory redundancies because of the company's financial mismanagement,» he said. «It is not too late for management to rethink their plans and avoid damaging strikes.»
The union described the changes as «bad for viewers» and «bad for journalism».
Financial Sustainability Claim
STV defended the restructuring as essential for survival. The broadcaster's spokesperson explained: «Our investment in radio will drive profitable revenue for the company, helping to support our multimillion-pound news operation which is not financially sustainable in its current form and for which we receive no public funding.»
The company has requested changes to news commitments in its Ofcom licences, which the regulator proposes to accept. STV said the changes «ensure the delivery of newsgathering and coverage right across Scotland on a sustainable basis» while expanding digital news services to meet changing consumption habits.
Of the 28 affected roles, STV said the majority were resolved through voluntary redundancy or redeployment.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
