Vote of no confidence in PA Media editor-in-chief Jack Lefley over restructuring plans

NUJ chapel also reveals indicative vote in favour of strike action.

NUJ members at PA Media have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion of no confidence in the leadership of the veteran company’s editor-in-chief Jack Lefley.

It follows an indicative ballot strongly in favour of strike action, and overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action short of a strike, if management continues its restructuring plans - which the chapel has described as a “destructive course of action.”

After four months in post, Lefley announced a plan to restructure the editorial department, putting 74 editorial staff at proposed risk of redundancy with the loss of up to 25 jobs. 

In a statement issued today, the NUJ PA Chapel expressed, “members' shock and dismay at the proposal affecting around a quarter of the workforce”, which it fears, “would harm the fabric of the 157-year-old news agency renowned for its fast, fair and accurate content.”

It went on: “We warned these cuts would put an intolerable strain on remaining staff, affect the quality of the wire, damage PA’s reputation and diminish the unique position it holds within the UK and Ireland’s media landscape.” 

During a consultation process, the chapel’s representatives engaged in good faith with management and provided extensive and detailed counter-proposals around 50 pages long, which included a large amount of feedback from customers and colleagues with hundreds of years of combined experience of PA. They were rejected. 

The chapel said: “Faced with basic journalistic questions about the rationale for the cuts and how the agency would operate on a much-reduced workforce, the PA management failed to provide explanations which we considered to be in any way adequate or convincing. 

“We believe this response exposes a fundamental ignorance of the collaborative and close-knit culture of PA where generations of journalists have chosen to start and build their careers. 

“Rather than cherishing our experienced and skilled staff, the management have pressed on with an ill-conceived process in which 17 colleagues have been forced to accept voluntary redundancy on terms that are well below the industry standard - or face the prospect of compulsory redundancy.”

The statement goes on: “The Chapel is angered at what they regard as the cavalier way this has been undertaken, effectively hollowing out the agency of some of its best and most productive staff. 

“We further note that the management’s vision to remodel the agency according to what they claim customers want - at odds with extensive feedback gathered by the Chapel - has failed to materialise. 

“Some newly-created roles remain vacant, while alarming gaps have appeared in key positions as valued colleagues have voted with their feet by leaving roles they say are now untenable. The blow to staff morale is incalculable.”

It concludes: “Having repeatedly urged management to listen to our concerns, we now feel we have no choice but to sound the alarm about the damage their proposals will cause to the vital public service journalism we have dedicated our working lives to. 

“The PA Chapel is saddened that a year on from achieving recognition, our efforts to build a productive, positive, respectful, and collaborative working relationship with the management appear to be under threat. 

“Jack Lefley has repeatedly maintained that he takes ‘100%’ responsibility for the management’s plan. Accordingly, the Chapel has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion of no confidence in his leadership as editor-in-chief at PA Media. 

“This step was not taken lightly and follows an indicative ballot strongly in favour of strike action, and overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action short of strike, if management continues on this destructive course of action. 

“The Chapel will continue to try to engage with the PA management to mitigate the damage that has been done and find a resolution.”

NUJ general secretary Laura Davison said: 

“The strength of feeling from our chapel at PA is very clear. As the process has gone on members have become more angry and frustrated at the approach and  potential impact of these damaging cuts. The editorial workforce is the company's core asset and it's clear that swift and significant efforts need to be made to rebuild relationships and re-assess the company's strategy.”

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