West journalists strike for first time in 40 years

Reporters working for the Bristol Post and associated Bristol Live brand are set to stage a walk out

Journalists working across the West have gone on strike, some for the first time in more than 40 years.

Staff at Reach - which owns the Bristol Post and all the region's Live brands - have begun a four-day walkout as part of a nationwide strike over pay.

It comes after a ballot of National Union of Journalist (NUJ) members at the firm saw 79% back a strike.

Reach said it was "disappointed" about the action but committed to protecting the interests of "all our colleagues".

A picket line is due to be set up outside the Bristol Post and Western Daily Press' office in Baldwin Street on 31 August.

The first of the four days of walkouts was due to take place on Friday but was called off at the 11th-hour after Reach said it was willing to engage in "substantive talks" over the bank holiday weekend, the NUJ said on Thursday evening.

But in a release on Tuesday, the union claimed the company had made "no fresh offer on the 3% pay rise (or £750 minimum) that was rejected a month ago by staff".

It is calling for a 8.5% rise to help staff with the rising cost of living.

Reach said it met the "majority" of the NUJ's requirements including clearer salary progression for journalists and said it remains "open to talks at any time to resolve" the dispute.

Reach staff told the BBC they are struggling to keep up with the cost of living crisis

Staff a 'low priority'

One Reach staff member from the West told the BBC they "cannot afford" to carry on with the company giving such a "low priority" to staff.

The journalist - who spoke on condition of anonymity - added: "People in the business are already casting nervous glances at their savings with the way the landscape is changing, and if that doesn't change it's going to put people in serious trouble.

"Reach has a responsibility to ensure everyone in the business is paid fairly and in line with the economic conditions or it is going to lose its people even more rapidly."

The NUJ said 14 journalists had left Reach's Bristol team this year and until recently trainee journalists were paid less than £20,000, with seniors taking home £25,000.

NUJ reps voted unanimously to pass a motion of no-confidence in chief executive Jim Mullen, and will also hold a three-day walkout between 13-15 September.

It has also extended a "work-to-rule" element - where staff strictly complete their scheduled hours on non-strike days - indefinitely.

Striking journalists will be joined by other Reach staff from titles including the Bath Chronicle, Gloucestershire Echo and Wells Journal, the NUJ said.

The walkout is part of a nationwide strike by staff at Reach - which also owns the Daily Mirror, Daily Star and Daily Express.

NUJ Bristol branch treasurer Paul Breeden said some staff were so desperate for cash they had "resorted to using foodbanks".

Staff at Reach - which owns more than 130 local and national newspaper titles - are walking out across the country

"We know of others who want to strike but can't afford to lose the money," he told the BBC.

He confirmed the last strike in the region took place in the late 1970s, although staff "came close" to walking out in 2005.

Reach recently announced it will pay out £14m in its half-year dividend to shareholders, according to its accounts.

In 2021, Mr Mullen received a remuneration package worth more than £4m - 104 times greater than the company's median salary - according to its annual account from March.

Mr Breeden said what "really galls staff is this company can hold itself up as a champion of the ordinary person and stand up for people who are going on strike in other industries, but yet isn't prepared to do the same for its own people."

Reach said it remains "focused on protecting the interests of all our colleagues, ensuring the group has a sustainable future in the face of an uncertain economic backdrop".

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