STAFF at the Scottish office of Express Newspapers have yet to learn to what extent they will be affected by proposed job cuts.
Some 70 posts are reported to be at risk of redundancy across the group’s Express and Star titles, with the company reported to be seeking applications for voluntary redundancy.
Last year, a similar number of posts were axed by the company, but with the Scottish operation managing to escape the cuts. Whether there is a repeat is expected to become clear over the next two or three days.
Meanwhile, as part of job cuts proposed throughout its UK-wide network of regional offices, the free newspaper, the Metro, has told its arts and entertainment staff in its Glasgow office that their posts are at risk of redundancy, and that – as of the end of last week – they are on a month’s ‘gardening leave’, to cover their statutory redundancy period.
It means that, from tomorrow, while the Scottish edition of the newspaper will continue to carry Scottish news and sport, it will not be featuring some familiar music or theatre bylines. It’s believed six staff are affected: two writers, two editors and two sub-editors.
Should they go, an office that this time last year had over 20 staff – including two picture editors and an office manager – will have been cut to a staff of seven.
