PA chapel expresses ongoing dismay over management’s position on job cuts

A new statement by the PA chapel relays the anger and upset among journalists caused by the company’s “inflexible approach and seeming refusal to consider the views of experienced and dedicated staff.”

The PA chapel of the National Union of Journalists would like to convey its ongoing dismay, frustration, concern and dissatisfaction at the PA management's insistence to pursue job cuts in the editorial division, putting 74 colleagues at proposed risk of redundancy with the loss of up to 25 jobs.

On May 12, chapel representatives met the management and issued a statement expressing members’ disappointment that extensive and detailed counter proposals had been largely ignored and dismissed. 

This document - voted on by members - was the chapel’s first public statement. It came after wide condemnation of the PA management’s proposal, including on Prime Minister’s Questions in Westminster and First Minister’s Questions in Holyrood.

In a meeting on 14 May, the management said it was “surprised and disappointed” at the content of the chapel statement and set out some limited changes to its proposal. 

It confirmed there would still be a reduction in staff in Scotland, though two of the remaining roles would be renamed “politics and news reporters” and based in Holyrood. We note this followed considerable opposition from Scottish customers and parliamentarians. 

While we welcome this very limited concession, we remain deeply concerned that the management has not altered its plans in any meaningful sense and the number of job losses remain. These include in the Commons and House of Lords, putting at risk the long-cherished and respected dawn-to-dusk coverage that only PA provides.

We note the outcry in Westminster - and beyond - continues over this aspect of the job cuts. This week, the issue has been raised on two national radio shows.

The PA management, also on 14 May, agreed to reopen its voluntary redundancy scheme for proposed at risk staff for a short window. This followed requests from the chapel and has been welcomed. 

However, the chapel delegation warned management that since the proposals were fundamentally unchanged and the VR offering poor and well below that of similar organisations, none of the above steps were likely to alter members’ views on the matter.

At a very well-attended full chapel meeting on Thursday, members discussed the latest developments and voiced continuing deep dissatisfaction with the consultation process. 

They described their anger and upset at what is seen as management’s inflexible approach and seeming refusal to consider the views of experienced and dedicated staff, whose combined service totals many centuries. 

Members are frustrated and feel their questions and concerns have been swept aside, ignored or shut down. As a direct result, staff morale is suffering. 

The chapel voted overwhelmingly in favour of issuing a further statement to voice its dissatisfaction and to continue to explore next steps to escalate matters including an indicative ballot if the management persists in what members deem to be a dangerous and damaging course of action.