Journalists at Wales’ biggest news publisher to go on strike
Journalists at Wales’ biggest news publisher are to strike in a dispute over pay, alongside colleagues across the other nations of the UK.
National Union of Journalists members of Reach voted heavily in favour of taking industrial action.
Their titles in Wales include the Western Mail and Daily Post newspapers, as well as their sister WalesOnline and North Wales Live websites. They also own the South Wales Echo and South Wales Evening Post, as well as a number of smaller regional titles.
Their UK titles include the Daily Mirror, Daily Express and Manchester Evening News.
NUJ Wales confirmed to Nation.Cymru that members across the whole of Reach, including Wales, will walk out on August 26 and 31 and September 14 and 15.
The NUJ said its members voted by 79% in favour of strikes and 88% for other forms of industrial action, on a turnout of 70%.
Reach has offered a pay rise of 3%, with a minimum of £750, said the union.
‘Meaningful proposals’
Chris Morley, of the NUJ, said: “Our members have delivered a powerful message to Reach chiefs with the results today of this landmark ballot.
“It is unprecedented in the company’s history that more than 1,000 of its journalists have been mandated to take strike action and other industrial action.
“The fact that such a strong outcome has been achieved in the face of significant postal issues and in the peak holiday season should tell the company how determined our members are to achieve a better deal on their pay.
“We very much hope that the company has the good grace and humility to recognise it made a mistake in making this poor offer against the backdrop of this cost-of-living turmoil.
“Rather than trigger the planned damaging walkouts by doing nothing, senior management are urged to now come forward with meaningful proposals to resolve the dispute.”
The company has been approached for comment.
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That sounds like an excellent mandate for strike action and much better than the mandate of many of the Tory MPs in Wales who will no doubt condemn the action. One would hope that the employer would come back with a sensible offer and get the dispute settled quickly. The evidence for serious catch up pay rises is clear so why fight it?
WoL employs journalists? Who knew, eh?
Quick while Reach are on strike bring on a new journalism…all this drought is bringing the Greens into mainstream thinking, the MP for Thanet, a what global warming Tory is getting a right slagging off…where’s Starman when there is an open goal…on holiday, same old…the tide is turning, stick a turbine in front of it. Tell the Tories we don’t want your Truss nor your poor little Rishi, enough brain dead zombies from the back benches enough cheating little guttersnipe politician/bankers looking after their hedge fund school chums offshoring every last penny they and their CEO scumbag cronies can trowser.… Read more »
Does the Western Mail have a website?
No idea…Cambrian News does but they are so scared someone might read half a sentence am ddim it is embarrassing…
Half a sentence is about as much as you’d get from that rag unless it’s some Sais having a moan in letters column about stuff like Yr Iaith, tourism tax, second home levies, blah blah
That’ll bring the streets or London to a halt. (Cos it’s not written IN Cymru)
Oh no! Hang on! Where will I get my regular listicles of Tom Jones’ 20 favourite foods and other cutting edge trivial schytte?
Increasingly on here, unfortunately…