Reach to cut 200 jobs
The publisher has announced plans to make 102 job cuts in editorial roles out of 200 across the group. 253 journalists have been placed at risk.
Reach, the publisher of titles including The Mirror, Express, Birmingham Mail, Liverpool Echo, Irish Star and Daily Record has announced new plans to cut 102 editorial roles with a total of 253 people placed at risk.
Reach state the plans to cut jobs and withdraw over 100 existing vacancies are to protect the organisation, amid varying challenges including inflationary pressures, cash outflow and increased print costs. The company has indicated there are around 180 vacancies still live.
The announcement today comes as a shock to staff, awaiting further detail as a consultation process gets underway. The National Union of Journalists has met with Reach and has urged the company to ensure job losses do not lead to compulsory redundancies.
Staff at the company play an important role in the creation of quality journalism at both regional and national levels and any widespread cuts are likely to have a significant impact.
The NUJ’s Reach Group Chapel will meet this week to discuss next steps, and the union will keep members informed.
Chris Morley, Reach NUJ national coordinator, said:
“Reach’s announcement of big job cuts - on top of the shedding of journalists’ roles around the group over the last few months of 2022 - has come as a grim and unwelcome start to the new year.
“We are today urgently seeking more clarity on these proposals and where the company thinks it can make cuts without harming its core business.
“Our members are clear that for the company to succeed, it must protect the creation of quality journalism and original content and that means limiting as much as possible any cuts to editorial staffing.
“We will be listening to our members and reps and digesting today’s announcements fully in the coming days as we engage with the company as closely as possible in the consultation process to try to avoid and mitigate the worst impacts on our members.”