Chris Harvey and other STV staff at the STV strike in Aberdeen on 7 January 2026. Picture: NUJ
Around 80 STV journalists turned out on picket lines outside the broadcaster’s headquarters in Glasgow and Aberdeen on Wednesday as staff face compulsory redundancies.
The strike comes after STV announced in September that it planned to cut 60 jobs, including journalists, and merge the STV Central and STV North 6pm news programmes.
They are set to be replaced with a single bulletin covering both licence areas held by STV .
STV Central is currently produced in Glasgow while STV North runs in Aberdeen, with the latter set to be cut.
Broadcast regulator Ofcom has said it is inclined to accept a revised version of STV’s plans in which at least 30% of the 6pm programme is locally relevant to each licence area.
STV said 28 roles are affected across newsrooms, of which “the majority” have resulted in voluntary redundancies or redeployments.
In December, members of the National Union of Journalists at STV voted 94% in favour of strike action on an 82% turnout.
Around 60 people are estimated to have joined the strike at the Glasgow headquarters, including Dundee staff, while between 15 to 20 attended at the Aberdeen strike, including staff from Edinburgh.
Chris Harvey, STV North presenter and reporter, was on the picket line in Aberdeen.
“There was a hardy band of 15 Aberdeen TV reporters and presenters on the picket line in the snow,” he told Press Gazette.
“It feels like we’re fighting our own company, not just for jobs, but also for the viewers as well,” he said.
“I just think [STV] could be and should be looking at alternative ways that they can still make savings and still preserve the future of the news.”
He added that those striking have generally been “upbeat”, with “fantastic support” from NUJ national organiser for Scotland Nick McGowan-Lowe, as well as from other press and radio outlets.
“Obviously there’s staff who are remaining [at STV], and there’s not been any animosity or fallout or… ‘oh, you’re fine. So why are you bothered?’ You know, everyone has been kept together. We’re friends as much as we are colleagues,” said Harvey.
He added: “People [are] potentially facing the most ignominious end to their career and not in their own control, after 30 or 40 years of serving the public.
“There’s also a deep concern as well that if this happens it will just be the thin end of the wedge for public service broadcasting across the whole of the ITV network – that programmes will merge… will be allowed to be pre-recorded or axed altogether under this umbrella of ‘sustainability’.
“And I’m just not sure that that’s the best course of action, not whilst we’re going through such incredible transition in the media as it is.”
STV replaces ITV on the Channel 3 network in Scotland and uses some of its programming.
Harvey also encouraged journalists to engage with Ofcom: “If anyone’s reading this and they want to spend even a minute objecting or putting their own point of view into the Ofcom consultation , we would greatly appreciate that. It might be that one individual voice does turn the balance and changes the regulator’s minds.”
McGowan-Lowe also attended the strike in Aberdeen, and told Press Gazette the mood was “very good” on the picket line , with “a lot of support from other unions”.
“There has been a lot of support from politicians as well on picket lines. I know in Glasgow, [Scottish Labour leader] Anas Sarwar attended and gave a quote, and then we’ve had STUC deputy general secretary Dave Moxhamon the picket line in Glasgow as well. So, our members are very angry, but very determined.”
NUJ members picketing outside STV Glasgow HQ. Picture: NUJ
The NUJ has said STV’s plans are bad for advertisers, viewers and journalism.
Referring to the amended plan, McGowan-Lowe said: “We don’t think those provisions are enough to protect local quality journalism.”
The job cuts have been proposed despite launching a new commercial radio station, STV Radio, this week.
McGowan-Lowe said: “It’s very clear they couldn’t afford to launch that radio station without cutting the jobs of journalists. And that radio station doesn’t add anything to their licence commitments. It doesn’t really provide any substantial news.”
He added STV Radio is “there as a profit driver”, adding it’s “why our members are angry, because they see their job… being ripped up simply because of the company’s own financial mismanagement”.
Viewers also saw ITV network bulletins replacing STV’s five-minute regional output on Wednesday between 1:55-2pm for Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee.
STV’s flagship 30-minute 6pm news programme was replaced by a travel show fronted by STV weather presenter Sean Batty. The broadcaster’s 15-minute news bulletin at 10.30pm ran as usual.
Only one day of strike action is planned at the moment but McGowan-Lowe said the strike mandate runs until June “so we do have the potential to take strike action at two weeks’ notice”.
RMT Scotland, the International Federation of Journalists, Reach NUJ members and the Leeds and West Yorkshire branch of the NUJ were among the groups that gave public support.
STV response
STV said the strike action was “ill-timed” as consultations with staff and the union are ongoing.
“Significant progress has been made in reducing the impact on jobs,” STV said in a statement to Press Gazette.
“As a result of our cost savings plan 28 roles are impacted across our newsrooms, the majority of which have been achieved through voluntary redundancy or redeployment.
“Our request to Ofcom for changes to the news commitments in our licences, which they propose to accept, ensures the delivery of newsgathering and coverage right across Scotland on a sustainable basis for the company, and sees the expansion of our digital news service in response to changing news consumption.”
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