Fairfax to look at outsourcing options

SYDNEY (AAP) - Fairfax Media Ltd has agreed to work with the publisher's senior subeditors on possible alternatives to outsourcing its subediting work, a union says.
The Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance said the agreement was reached during a meeting between company and union representatives on Wednesday morning.
It also said Fairfax had assured it a deal to outsource subediting work to newspaper production services firm, Pagemasters, was a "proposal" and that no contracts had been signed.
Pagemasters is a subsidiary of Australian Associated Press (AAP).
Pagemasters announced on Tuesday it was taking on additional sub-editing work for Fairfax.
It was to expand its current services to include the sub-editing of general news, business and sport for the Sydney Morning Herald, the Sun Herald, The Age and the Sunday Age.
Pagemasters has been editing feature sections for the titles since September 2008.
The MEAA said possible internal alternatives to outsourcing include "some form of sub-editing hub in Sydney and Melbourne".
"This would result in job losses, but would reduce the number of jobs lost on Fairfax metropolitan mastheads," it said in a statement.
"It would also keep within the company the necessary creative synergies between the writing and reporting function on the one hand, and the editing and sub-editing function on the other."
If the Fairfax sub-editing work was outsourced, about 90 jobs would be lost at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
The union also said it had received an assurance that, at this stage, sub-editing at the Canberra Times would not be outsourced and there would be no redundancies.
Meanwhile, Fairfax staff met this afternoon and passed a resolution condemning the outsourcing plan and the failure of management to consult staff.
"We note the company has agreed to engage in talks to examine whether there is an option to continue this work in house and we endorse representatives of the house committee to participate in those talks," the resolution said.
"We note the company has agreed to abide by the redundancy provisions of the collective agreement and will call for volunteers across the relevant group.
"We reiterate our continued opposition to any threat of compulsory redundancies.
"We resolve to reconvene next week to discuss the outcome of those talks."
Fairfax management are due to meet with senior sub-editors from Thursday to examine alternatives.