Job losses at Daily Post and Echo

Trinity Mirror is now in consultation with the NUJ

More than 40 journalists are to lose their jobs at the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo, it has been announced.

Owners Trinity Mirror said the cuts were part of a major restructuring of its Merseyside newsgathering operation.

The Daily Post will also be reduced to a Monday to Friday publication - although its online edition will continue to operate seven days a week.

The company, which recently moved its print production to Greater Manchester, has blamed a slump in advertising.

It announced last week that a total of 80 of its 100 printworkers in Merseyside would lose their jobs in the next 12 months.

The changes announced on Thursday, which will be implemented in the first quarter of 2009, will mean 43 jobs will be cut from the 175-strong team.

'Streamlined working'

Echo editor Alastair Machray said: "The Liverpool Echo is the heartbeat of this city, and that will not change.

"Nobody likes the idea of losing jobs, but we will remain by far the city's biggest employer of journalists, producing the best stories for the people of Liverpool."

He added: "The new, streamlined working methods we are implementing will mean readers will not see any detriment to their favourite titles - we are absolutely committed to that.

"And it will make our companion site, liverpoolecho.co.uk, even better."

Liverpool Daily Post editor Mark Thomas said readers were losing the Saturday edition, but could "look forward to much stronger newspapers during the week".

Trinity Mirror said all journalists' jobs would change as traditional reporter and photographer roles were being replaced by multi-media journalists able to take photographs, shoot video and write content for the web and the newspapers.

The company will now enter a consultation with all affected staff and with the National Union of Journalists.