Publishing jobs under threat

6:47pm Tuesday 22nd July 2008

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Dozens of jobs are at risk as part of a shake up at educational publisher Pearson in Oxford.

Unions said they were relieved the firm was not sold to a private equity "asset-stripper" following the sale of Harcourt Education at Jordan Hill to Pearson last year.

However, consultation over 39 redundancies has started in the customer services department.

Anna Wagstaffe, Oxford branch secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: "We understand that there will be quite a few redundancies and it's worrying for staff. At the moment, we have no indication that any of the editorial or designer staff whom we represent are going to be under threat."

No one from Pearson, which bought the firm with 660 workers last year, was available to comment.

The books and online learning materials produced in Oxford are used by teachers and students in primary and secondary schools, with imprints such as Heinemann.

Reed still owns Kidlington-based Elsevier Science, which produces 15,000-plus publications, including medical journal The Lancet.