Indo staff vote for strike action

SIPTU members at Independent Newspapers have voted in favour of industrial action following the company's decision to introduce voluntary redundancies.

The union is furious at the company's attempt to seek 205 redundancies from across the non-editorial workforce at the newspaper group.

The union said following sanction for industrial action from its National Executive Council, it will serve strike notice on Independent Newspapers.

A spokesman for Independent Newspapers said the company was disappointed by the result of the SIPTU ballot given the "generous terms" being offered to workers.

He said the company was confident of getting the 205 voluntary redundancies by today's deadline and that 190 workers had already applied for the package.

The newspaper has set aside €23 million to cover the redundancies, which could see longest-service employees leave with a pay-out of €260,000.

Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) rejected a ballot in favour of joining the industrial action by 104 votes to 101.

NUJ secretary Seamus Dooley said he was disappointed with the outcome and the union may revisit the matter if industrial action took place.

SIPTU also said it was annoyed the paper had not gone to the National Implementation Body to settle the dispute.

"Management at Independent Newspapers must comply with the terms of individual collective agreements and through their representative body IBEC with the spirit and intent of Sustaining Progress," the union's Dublin regional secretary Patricia King said.