Irish Independent staff reject outsourcing plan

A plan by Ireland's Independent Newspapers to outsource some production jobs to external contractors has been rejected by members of the National Union of Journalists at the company. An NUJ statement said the plan, which included a voluntary redundancy package, was rejected by 102 votes to 99 in a ballot with an 80% turnout. Seamus Dooley, the NUJ's Irish secretary, said: "The plan to outsource sub-editing and layout functions strikes at the heart of newspaper production... we now expect management to accept the outcome of the ballot." (Via Irish Times)