Job losses as journalists have to re-apply for roles at Sunday Times

Several jobs are to be cut at the Irish edition of the Sunday Times, with the majority of journalists at the paper informed they will have to reapply for a smaller pool of positions.

Staff were told on Tuesday that there would be a number of cutbacks amid a cost-saving restructuring of the news operation.

It is understood journalists were informed that there would be cuts on a group call at around noon. More details were then provided in one-to-one meetings with Nóirín Hegarty, editor of the Sunday Times, over the course of the day.

There are currently 20 full-time journalists employed in Ireland across the Sunday Times and the online-only edition of its sister publication The Times Ireland. Fifteen of the positions are at risk of redundancy with those staff having to reapply for one of 12 new roles.

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The Times Ireland, an Irish version of the London-based daily paper, previously ceased producing a print edition in 2019, with the loss of around 15 jobs. A small number of journalists were kept on to continue to publish online stories at the time. The current cuts would see daily output from The Times Ireland cease, with journalists to instead focus on the Sunday product.

Ms Hegarty was appointed Sunday Times editor last October, as a replacement for former editor Frank Fitzgibbon, who stepped down in late 2020 after 15 years.

The Sunday Times, which is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, is not connected to The Irish Times, which is owned by a trust.

In recent months there had been speculation among staff at the Sunday Times about potential impending cutbacks and cost saving measures. It is understood journalists were offered the option of taking voluntary redundancy packages in the one-to-one meetings on Tuesday.

News Ireland, the Irish parent company of the Sunday Times and The Times Ireland, confirmed there would be “operational changes” in a statement.

“News Ireland will in the future focus on the strength of the Sunday Times brand via the weekly publication of powerful digital and print editions. The strategic move is a natural evolution in this digital era, and will work to maintain the leading position of the publication in the Irish marketplace,” it said.

“To facilitate this strategic move, daily output from thetimes.ie will cease,” the statement said. “This proposed restructure will result in a number of staffing and operational changes and this is currently being communicated to all employees,” it said.

News Ireland, the Irish branch of multinational media company News Corp, said it was “committed to continual investment in quality journalism”.

“To facilitate this, the team from The Sunday Times and The Irish Sun, along with sister company HarperCollins Ireland, will move into shared office space with Wireless Radio Group (Dublin’s Q102, FM104, Cork’s 96FM, C103, Live95FM, and LMFM) later this year,” the statement said.