'Shock' as 11 best-known names leave The London 'Times' Irish papers amid cost-cutting drive

Justine McCarthy, along with colleagues including Stephen O’Brien and sportswriter Denis Walsh, are among the 11 journalists leaving the London Times' Irish operation. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Workers at The Sunday Times and  Times Ireland newspapers have spoken of their “shock” at a new cost-cutting drive which is set to see more than 50% of employees at a minimum leave the business.

A redundancy drive at the news outlet will see at least 11 staff departing from its current 20-strong workforce.

Those leaving include senior journalists with long-term associations with the outlet such as political journalists Justine McCarthy and Stephen O’Brien, and sportswriter Denis Walsh.

Just four reporters are understood to be staying on, including crime correspondent John Mooney, while the business section has been unaffected due to long-serving reporter Niall Brady having recently retired.

The move includes every editor at the paper — both news editors, the deputy editor John Burns, and the pictures and features editors.

While news that the company would be streamlining operations as a pivot towards digital-focused output was expected, the level of attrition has come as a surprise to staff, with one source calling it “a full clearout”.

“People are quite shocked,” a source with knowledge of the situation said.

We thought a few would be going, but we didn’t expect a full clearout like this.

"It’s going to be an entirely new publication, given most of the known names are leaving.”

The source added that “people are confused as to how they’re going to put out a paper”, given the scale of the redundancies.

It is understood that any gaps in coverage will likely be filled with stories from the British version of The Times, with the Irish operation’s coverage to focus more on crime and human interest stories from now on.

Interviews were held last Tuesday at the Gibson Hotel in Dublin, with employees initially expecting that 15 of the 20 workers would be kept on, having interviewed for their own jobs.

However, despite the fact that far greater numbers have opted for the redundancy package than expected, four interviewees from Tuesday were subsequently informed they had not been successful.

Legal minimum terms for recent hires 

The redundancy package for pre-2015 employees is the equivalent of 16 months of salary. However, those employed since 2015 have been offered the legal minimum — two weeks’ salary for each year served plus one month’s pay in lieu of notice.

Staff let go from The Times Ireland edition newspaper, which closed in June 2019, were similarly offered minimum severance payments, before a union outcry saw the terms enhanced slightly.

In a statement, News Ireland said: "We are consulting with staff on a proposal to transition to digital-first publishing and to cease publishing bespoke Irish digital content Monday to Saturday.

"If the proposal goes ahead, overall staff headcount will reduce by three roles. The Times and The Sunday Times in London became digital-first publishers in 2021.

"We cannot comment further until consultation with staff concludes on July 29."