100 jobs slashed at Perth Print

A merger of Western Australia’s two major newspapers will see the closure of newspaper producer Perth Print and 100 print jobs cut.

It is the biggest loss of printing jobs in one hit for some time.

Last month the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) approved Seven West Media’s bid to takeover News Corp’s struggling WA print newspaper the Sunday Times.  

Seven West Media owns the only other major newspaper in WA, The West Australian.  

Following the approval, Seven West Media has decided to close the Perth Print site at Canning Vale resulting in the loss of 40 full time and 60 casual print jobs. The printing of the Sunday Times and Community Newspapers will likely move to the Western Australian Newspapers site.

Australian Printer spoke to a worker at Perth Print who says staff were told during a meeting with management that the site would be closing down permanently in the first week of November.

The source says workers were told there would be no opportunity for their jobs to be reshuffled to other areas of the company.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union’s print secretary Alan Lindsay has slammed the ACCC for approving the sale and says the employment prospects for those made redundant are bleak.

“The printing trade is long and distinguished – printers, publishers, the distribution area, the pre-press area that prep the plates that go on the printing presses,” he says.

“It is another 100 people put on the unemployment line with no hope of getting jobs that they are trained in.”

However PIAA CEO Andrew Macaulay has commended Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes for investing in newsprint. 

“The reality is that the print sector is better off having one strong, viable business than two businesses going bust, there would be far more job losses if both went under,” Macaulay says.

He continues, "The loss of jobs through mergers or business failures is always disappointing and it is particularly distressing for the affected employees and their families.

"The merger of Western Australia's two major newspapers is the continuation of the trend to the consumption of news through digital channels. That same technology has also seen the expansion of some sectors of the industry which has led to the creation of employment in those areas.

“While that is of little immediate consolation to the people who have lost their employment, it does point to a positive future for the industry as a whole.”

Macaulay says the PIAA is working closely with state governments to ensure that sufficient training places are available to cater to the industry’s changing needs.

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