The Bookseller.com

9th January 2009

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Further Wiley jobs to go

14.02.08 Tom Tivnan

Redundancies are understood to be looming at Wiley-Blackwell as the STM giant continues to integrate its Wiley and Blackwell Publishing businesses.

A source close to Wiley-Blackwell said that 10 staff members have been laid off already this year across journals and marketing departments, and that up to 25 jobs may go. He added: "The cuts seem to be coming mostly from the Blackwell side. There is an air of trepidation here." The company employs about 1,200 people in the UK.

While not commenting on specifics, a Wiley spokesperson said: "The integration of Blackwell Publishing has necessitated some redundancies for strategic reasons. The majority of these have already occurred but there may be a few more as we go forward and discover synergies between the two companies. We recognise the human impact and will endeavour to treat our colleagues with compassion."

The job losses follow Wiley's £572m acquisition of Blackwell in November 2006. Fifty redundancies throughout its global business were announced in May last year, and René Olivieri, chief operating officer of Wiley-Blackwell and former c.e.o of Blackwell Publishing, left in December.

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