The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has condemned plans by Reach plc – the UK and Ireland’s largest commercial publisher – to slash hundreds more jobs.
Today (16 September) the company – which publishes a range of local and national titles including the Daily Record, Manchester Evening News, and The Mirror – announced its intention to make around 220 full-time equivalent redundancies in editorial teams, while creating an additional 60 roles, a net reduction of around 160 jobs.
Reach has not specified details of where the cuts will fall and the union is seeking clarity on the company’s plans. However, the company did confirm that this will result in the closure of three online titles: AberdeenLive, KentLive, and GalwayBeo.
READ MORE: Reach chief blames BBC as 220 more journalists and three local titles bite the dust
Explaining the need for further cuts, the company blamed wider industry decline and rapid shifts in news consumption habits, with AI overviews and changes to Google algorithms resulting in a major loss of traffic.
Reach remains a profitable company, despite its £60 million-a-year pension deficit payments commitment. It has promised a £96 million operating profit this year.
In July the NUJ Reach group chapel urged management to halt further job losses having previously warned that the company was in danger of becoming “addicted to redundancies”. Last year the company cut over 300 editorial roles as part of a major restructure. Further rounds of redundancies have followed this year in regional print production and editorial teams as newsrooms continue to be hollowed out. Meanwhile print sites in Watford and Saltire have closed, resulting in hundreds of printworkers also losing their jobs.
Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said: “Cuts after cuts, year after year, have left our members at Reach deeply demoralised. The cumulative effect of relentless redundancies has been unsustainable workloads, unrealistic ‘content’ demands, and dedicated journalists living in constant fear of losing their livelihoods.
“Continued cuts fundamentally undermine Reach’s recent strategic pivot to digital subscriptions and focus on original reporting, which had been broadly welcomed by our members.
“This is an act of self-sabotage. A sustainable business model relies on quality journalism. And quality journalism relies on having skilled journalists who can ask questions, uncover stories, verify facts, hold power to account, and reflect community voices.
“These cuts will have a direct impact on public access to news, with the closure of three online titles exacerbating the UK and Ireland’s local news drought and doing a disservice to readers.
“Redundancies are not the answer. If Reach has demonstrated one thing in the last year, it is that constant cost-cutting does not work. Instead of propping up operating profits and paying out dividends to shareholders, the company should invest in its journalists and focus on an emergency rescue plan to give the business the breathing space it needs.
“The NUJ is seeking a detailed breakdown of the company’s proposals and will be engaging in formal consultations next month. We will hold a meeting for all members at Reach in the coming days and will be supporting them throughout this difficult time.
“More broadly, we will also continue to press the government to provide greater protections and investment in sector – including by properly regulating AI and introducing a windfall tax on tech giants to protect jobs and public access to local news.”
Prolific North has approached Reach plc for comment.
