Fairfax Media will hold talks with unions over its restructure plans and proposed job cuts which include outsourcing 56 positions to New Zealand.

Unions went to Fair Work Australia on Thursday seeking an urgent meeting to view management's business plan and discuss the reforms.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) assistant state secretary Leigh Diehm said Fairfax had agreed during the conciliation conference to consult unions about its announcement on Monday that it will close two printing presses and slash 1,900 jobs.

Mr Diehm said Fairfax gave an undertaking that it would not implement the proposed changes during the consultation process.

But Fairfax said it had always been ready and willing to consult with unions and employees.

The company said discussions with the unions had already been scheduled and were actually delayed by the Fair Work proceedings.

"When Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood announced the changes on Monday, he specifically spoke about planned consultation with employees," a Fairfax statement on Thursday said.

"Any suggestion to the contrary is a mischievous misrepresentation of the facts."

AMWU national print secretary Lorraine Cassin said Thursday's outcome would give staff peace of mind.

"It does mean that our members have a little bit more job security at this point," she said.

"At the moment, they've been living day by day, minute by minute, wondering whether a manager is going to come out and say, `You now need to leave the site, your job is gone.'"