Freelances working for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, and the Edinburgh Evening News have been told if they don’t sign the third version of the Picture Supplier Contract, they will not work for the newspapers.

The unanimous and unequivocal advice from Snap (Scottish Newspapers Association of Photographers), the NUJ (National Union of Journalists) and all the legal sources consulted is not to sign the contract.

As a result no freelances have signed the contract despite pressure being applied by the TSPL (The Scotsman Publications Limited) picture editors. Several freelances have been told : “sign, or you will never work here again”.

In effect, it is expected that TSPL will be in the remarkable position of turning away freelances who turn up to work today but have not have signed the contract. For many freelances this means the cancellation of shifts for March which the freelances accepted only under the old terms and conditions (the new contract has only been published last week).

Regular freelance photographers at The Scotsman group are asking all parties who deal with TSPL – please bear these circumstances in mind when deciding whether to work for, or supply pictures to, The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday or the Edinburgh Evening News.