Two major daily newspapers in Yorkshire may have their subbing operation outsourced to the Press Association, it has emerged.

The editors of both the Yorkshire Post and the Yorkshire Evening Post attended a presentation at parent company Johnston Press's Edinburgh HQ last week.

Union reps at the two Leeds-based titles say that when they asked management what the meeting was about, they were told that it was to discuss the possible outsourcing of subbing work.

Johnston Press has refused to comment on the union's claims, but it is understood that outsourcing is one of a number of options being considered.

Peter Lazenby, joint father of the Yorkshire Evening Post/Yorkshire Post NUJ chapel, said: "We knew the editors were up in Edinburgh so we got a meeting with management.

"We were told they were having presentations from three firms, one of which was the Press Association, about possible outsourcing of subbing work.

"It was made clear to us that there are options and one of those is the outsourcing of subbing work at the Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post."

The Press Association already has as a major base in Howden, East Yorkshire, which can be easily accessed from Leeds via the M62.

Mr Lazenby added that, if there were attempts to push through any compulsory redundancies as a result of outsourcing, the chapel would ballot for strike action.

"We've got a standing policy which we adopted this year. If they try to make any NUJ member compulsorily redundant, we would ballot for strike action immediately," he said.

"That's what we decided earlier this year when it became clear that the company was making changes."

A spokesperson for Johnston Press' head office said the company would not comment on what it called "pure speculation".

There have also been claims by journalists that a centralised subbing operation is to be introduced across some of Johnston's Hampshire and Sussex titles.

Johnston Press announced last Friday that two of its subsidiaries, Sussex Newspapers Ltd and TR Beckett Ltd, are to merge.

Divisional managing director Gary Fearon said the company was now entering into a formal consultation process with staff on the plans which is due to finish on 30 January 2009.

However Johnston Press yesterday refused to be drawn on whether a centralised subbing operation formed part of those proposals.