NUJ reacts to Reach's voluntary redundancy scheme
The union has requested "immediate information" on new proposals, following the company's announcement.
Commenting on the announcement, Chris Morley, NUJ Reach national coordinator, said:
“It is disappointing that the company is looking to make widespread redundancies having trumpeted 12 months ago how success meant it was able to recruit hundreds of extra digital journalists.
“The stop-go nature of journalistic employment just underlines how uncertain its prospects are both to those currently in it and those looking to enter it. As an industry, everything that can be done to make it a secure and attractive place to work – especially addressing endemic poor pay – must be done or the constant talent drain will continue to the detriment of all.
“We have asked for immediate information on the numbers of jobs that Reach is seeking to discard and where from, and how it proposes to safely organise workloads so that the impact of those leaving is properly considered and calibrated.
“We are aware that a number of jobs have already been cut in recent weeks from both national and regional operations. The union was additionally informed yesterday that a recruitment freeze has now been adopted too. We are seeking consultation on how this is managed to avoid unacceptable burdens on remaining staff and how the company can mitigate the consequences of any redundancy.”