Anglia GPMU has predicted management opposition to union recognition of 140 staff at the Cambridge Evening News following leafleting outside the papers Milton offices.


Branch secretary Vernon Robson believed it would be a "tough battle" to unionise the paper, owned by the Yattendon Investment Trust.


He claimed the groups human resources manager, Graham Judge, had told the campaigners they were on private property and would be "hearing from us later".


However, Judge refuted the claim: "There were no confrontations or arguments when I saw them."


Robson, though "confident well have union recognition," said: "I shall ignore the company and resume leafleting and if it leads to police involvement, which I suspect it will, then this is something we will face."


Further action has been curtailed until Chris Harding, National GPMU Regional newspapers officer, receives a response from Yattendon to a letter he sent on Monday (25 September), suggesting a meeting at the papers offices, after Judge telephoned him.


Should the union be successful, the Cambridge Evening News will be first among Yattendons 23 regional papers to achieve union recognition.


Cambridge Newspapers chief executive David Fordham was unavailable for comment when PrintWeek went to press.


Story by Eloise Seddon