Strike threat over ITV job cuts

Ofcom has accepted the case for a newsroom merger

ITV Newsroom staff in the North could strike in protest over plans to axe about 90 jobs in a major shake-up.

The broadcaster has said a merger between Tyne Tees and Border Television will also see local programming cut.

This would mean the channel showing just 15 minutes of regional television per day.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said strike action was "inevitable" if ITV tried to "force" any of the changes through without talks.

A report by media regulator Ofcom has accepted the case for the merger.

But NUJ National Broadcasting Organiser, Paul McLaughlin, said: "Unless ITV meaningfully engages with unions over its plans for the future of regional news, industrial action seems inevitable.

"Any attempts to force through these massive cuts will be met with strong resistance.

"Viewers will doubtless be asking how a regulator required by parliament to maintain and strengthen public service broadcasting is allowing this to happen."