2014.05.13 | CWA Canada Local 30241 | North Bay Newspaper Guild
More Sun Media cuts ‘slap in face to communities’
A small Ontario daily is facing a major layoff as Sun Media slashes more local jobs and transfers the work to central production facilities in Toronto.
Some 30 mailers who work at the North Bay Nugget are losing their jobs at the end of May. This will halve the membership of the North Bay Newspaper Guild, says President Dave Dale.
CWA Canada President Martin 0'Hanlon says the job cuts are yet another slap in the face to the communities that Sun Media claims to care about.
"This latest round of cuts — to maybe save a few bucks — is devastating to the laid-off workers and a blow to the local economies," O'Hanlon says.
"It's especially galling when you realize that the profits from local newspapers are going into the money pit known as Sun TV, which is losing millions of dollars."
Sun Media will also be closing pressrooms in Sault Ste Marie and Thunder Bay.
The only bright spot, says Dale, is that North Bay will be printing three more newspapers: the Sault Star, the Timmins Daily News, and Kirkland Lake’s Northern News.
This is the latest batch of cuts by Sun Media, which chopped 200 jobs just before Christmas. The latter was the third round of layoffs in 13 months.