Journalists on the Guardian and the Observer are on Thursday starting a second 48-hour strike in protest on the proposed sale of the Observer newspaper to Tortoise Media, which was agreed in precept final week.
The economic motion follows an analogous two-day strike final week, which was the primary on the Guardian in additional than 50 years. The brand new 48-hour strike is because of happen on Thursday 12 December and Friday 13 December.
Nationwide Union of Journalists (NUJ) members handed a movement in November stating that promoting the Sunday newspaper to Tortoise can be a “betrayal” of the Scott Belief’s dedication to the Observer. The belief is the final word proprietor of Guardian Media Group.
Final Friday it was introduced {that a} deal to promote the Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, to Tortoise Media, had been agreed in precept. It’ll lead to £25m of recent funding within the Observer, with a dedication to print on a Sunday and a plan to construct it right into a digital model.
As a part of the deal, the Scott Belief stated it could take a stake in Tortoise and sit on each the editorial and industrial boards of the media firm.
On its web site, the NUJ stated: “The Nationwide Union of Journalists and its members on the Guardian and Observer imagine the plans are disastrous for the Observer, will injury the popularity of the Guardian and can significantly impression the working circumstances for workers on each titles.”
The poll for strike motion final month confirmed that of these eligible to take part, 75% forged a vote, with 93% supporting industrial motion.
The strike signifies that readers might discover some variations to the Guardian’s web site on Thursday and Friday and within the print version on Friday and Saturday.
On account of deadlines, a number of the tales that seem on the web site and within the newspaper on these days is not going to have been written on the day in query. In different instances, nameless bylines could also be used. Guardian US and Guardian Australia employees usually are not a part of the strike motion.
Observer employees have been advised there will probably be no job losses on account of the deal. Observer employees have been advised they will additionally decide to take voluntary redundancy on enhanced phrases. In the event that they switch to Tortoise, their current phrases and circumstances will probably be honoured.
Tortoise is run by James Harding, the previous editor of the Instances and former director of BBC Information. It has put ahead plans to proceed publishing the Observer on a Sunday and construct the title’s digital presence. It might mix the Observer with Tortoise’s podcasts, newsletters and reside occasions.
A Guardian spokesperson stated: “We respect the appropriate of NUJ members to strike and have initiated a plan to minimise the impression on employees and readers, persevering with to publish on-line and in print. We recognise the energy of feeling in direction of the sale of the Observer.
“Our precedence has all the time been to make sure the title’s journalism continues to have a number one position within the liberal media panorama and are sure this determination is correct to offer the Observer a sustainable future.”
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