‘Irish Daily Star’ staff face wage cuts and job losses

Salary cuts and redundancies will form part of a wide-ranging cost savings exercise at the Irish Daily Star, the newspaper’s owners have announced.

Staff at the title — which is an equal joint venture between Independent News & Media and British publisher Northern & Shell — were notified of the plans yesterday.

Initial savings will come with up to nine redundancies from the circulation and advertising departments; a reduction in overheads from the relocation of the title from its current home in Dundrum to INM’s Talbot St headquarters; and a wage cut for all staff members.

The latter will see a 5% cut in wage packets of up to €50,000 per year and a 7.5% cut in all wages above that amount.

Independent Star Ltd — which suffered a 60% drop in profits to nearly €1.7m last year — hasn’t publicly said what savings it hopes to achieve. While the nine redundancies are the only job cuts announced so far, it is feared further staff losses will occur later in the year. The company employs about 80 full-time staff.

Independent Star said the moves were designed to deliver efficiencies and cost savings.

Some management changes are also being made at the paper.

Gerry Lennon — already managing director of fellow INM title the Sunday World — will succeed Ger Colleran as Independent Star managing director. Mr Colleran will resume the role of the title’s editor, a position he held between 1999 and 2011.

The newspaper’s joint ownership structure will remain, but INM will assume day-to-day executive running of the title.

It is understood there is no prospect of Northern & Shell introducing the British Daily Star into the Irish market.

Most of the changes are expected to occur with immediate effect, with the office relocation set to take place on a phased basis.

No National Union of Journalists representatives were available for comment last night.