Up to 40 editorial posts will be discontinued at The Irish Times under proposals contained in a major restructuring plan presented to staff yesterday.
The proposals involve the closure of regional offices, a reduction in foreign correspondents, and fewer editorial management positions. The newspaper intends to produce only one edition each night, instead of the current two editions.
The editor of The Irish Times, Mr Conor Brady, promised last night that changes to the newspaper's content would be kept to a minimum.
"We are proposing to reorganise some editorial services and sections . . . but I would not wish readers to be apprehensive.
"Virtually all the main elements of the newspaper's content will be retained, although some may be recast in new form," he said.
Consultations on the plan with members of the National Union of Journalists will take place over the coming week. The NUJ said the proposals had come as a "a shock" to many staff. "People are understandably concerned about their future and the future of the paper," a spokesman said. "But it is important to remember that this is part of a consultation process. Redeployment will only take place following consultation and all redundancies will be voluntary."
Last November, the company announced it was facing losses of €17.9 million this year unless costs were reduced. Staff agreed to a restructuring plan to shed 250 jobs. So far, more than 180 have either left or applied for voluntary redundancy; most of the shortfall is in the editorial area.
Under the proposals circulated yesterday, The Irish Times would be produced with fewer staff and reduced resources. However, next month's start-up of the €76 million new printing press at Citywest will result in better print quality and improved distribution of the newspaper.
The plan proposes withdrawing the newspaper's five regional correspondents in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Sligo and Waterford by the end of August.
It also proposes closing the Beijing office, and reducing the number of full-time correspondents in the United States to one. Staffing levels at the offices in Belfast and London would also be cut under the plan.
The operations in Paris and Berlin are being reviewed, but the bureau in Brussels will remain open. It is proposed that the EL education supplement be incorporated into the main paper, with one broadsheet page devoted to education issues on Mondays and Fridays. The future of the Mediascope series is being reviewed.
Under the plan, the Friday business coverage would be reduced within the next month to a single supplement with 12 pages of editorial content. However, the Weekend supplement on Saturdays is being increased, to 16 pages.
Staffing in the editor's office would be reduced under the plan, with seven or possibly eight posts being made redundant. It is proposed to discontinue the long-running Quidnunc political column.
In his statement, Mr Brady said, in full: "We are at a difficult point in the restructuring programme.
"There will be a further week for consultation on what is now proposed. After that The Irish Times will move to a phase in which it will be produced by fewer journalists and others.
"Changes in the newspaper's content will be kept to a minimum. Many imaginative ideas for doing things better and more efficiently emerged from the consultation process.
"We are counting on the professionalism and commitment of our people and those qualities are there in abundance. I have no concerns about our capacity to maintain The Irish Times as Ireland's finest newspaper. We are aiming to eliminate some duplication of functions. We are de-layering the supervisory structure.
"We plan to have one edition of the newspaper each night rather than two, as at present. The faster, more efficient press at Citywest will facilitate this. We will be printing The Irish Times there next month.
"We are proposing to reorganise some editorial services and sections. The final shape must await the outcome of the consultative process over the next week. But I would not wish readers to be apprehensive. Virtually all the main elements of the newspapers's content will be retained, although some may be recast in new form."
