Petition over papers' print move

Trinity Mirror said it was a difficult decision to make

Workers from the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo are urging people to back a campaign to get bosses to continue printing the newspapers in the city.

A fortnight ago the papers' owners, Trinity Mirror, announced plans to get them printed at its site in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

About 100 jobs will be affected by the move at the end of next year.

Staff have set up a petition and have spent the day collecting signatures in Liverpool city centre.

Established history

The petition calls on the local community, government and local MPs to sign up to the campaign to keep the printing of the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo in Liverpool and stop Trinity Mirror's planned closure.

The plans to move production out of Liverpool will end the city's 150-year history of newspapaper printing. The Daily Post was first published at a small printing shop on Lord Street in 1855 while the first edition of the Echo was in 1879.

We will not stand by and let Trinity Mirror move the printing of its local newspapers out of this city without a fight Paul Finegan, Unite

Trinity Mirror is investing £7.5m in creating the single production site in Oldham, with an extension to the new colour presses, which came on line in December 2007.

Unions have already expressed concerns over the plans to move print production, describing it as a "bitter blow".

Unite regional officer Paul Finegan said: "Too many highly skilled jobs have already been lost on Merseyside and we will not stand by and let Trinity Mirror move the printing of its local newspapers out of this city without a fight.

"It's time the company listens to its readers' concerns and re-directs its investment in Liverpool to protect the future of the workforce.

"We urge Trinity Mirror to have meaningful talks with Unite so we can examine every possibility to retain production on Merseyside."

The announcement to move print production came just days before the media group revealed about 30 posts would also be lost in a restructuring of its newspaper offices in the north west of England as a result of "challenging market conditions".