According to the employment lawyer we spoke to, one hurdle the union would have to clear is proving the firm had no legitimate reason to cut pay.

While I don’t pretend to know what Goodhead staff were paid in relation to others in the sector, I should imagine that Unite would have a tough time arguing that the challenges in the magazine printing sector combined with Goodhead’s accounts didn’t constitute legitimate reason.

Equally, the lawyer stated that the company would have to prove that it handled the process fairly. And on the face of it, it appears to have done just that – although whether the pay cut feels fair to the 550 staff involved is, of course, another matter.

Finally, he raised the question of union recognition – a slightly greyer area of ‘he says, she says’.

However, each of these points would, I’m sure, have been pored over by the company before it even contemplated an across-the-board pay cut.

Frankly, the biggest challenge the Goodhead Group faces was never going to be a legal challenge from the union. It was always going to be: how can the company maintain the loyalty, trust and productivity of the staff? And that’s only going to get harder if the group does wind up sacking those employees who refuse to accept the pay cut.

Yes, the company may have won the battle in terms of the ‘yes’ vote, but the war of hearts and minds has only just begun.

– PrintWeek editor Darryl Danielli