The firm has not made any compulsory redundancies and the departing staff are a mixture of volunteers and early retirees.

Jarrold Printing managing director Charles Jarrold said both parties had adopted a "constructive attitude" throughout the negotiations.

Staff left the firm last Friday (12 April) and tomorrow (20 April) it will move from five-day working, plus overtime, to a six-day continental shift.

Jarrolds will decommission a Baker Perkins G16 web, while 30 jobs have gone in its bindery and some in pre-press due to increased automation.

The firm has shifted its focus from catalogues to magazine printing, and also this week revealed it had won Emaps new teen title, Sneak (see p14).

Jarrolds started talks with the GPMU more than three months ago, before the departure of group chief executive Robert Mills in March.

Story by Gordon Carson