Journalists at Reach newspapers and websites are striking today after talks to resolve a pay dispute broke down.
More than 1,150 journalists will take part in one of the most significant walkouts across the company's titles including The Mirror, Irish Star, Express, Daily Record, Sunday Mail, Western Mail, the Manchester Evening News, Liverpool Echo, Bristol Post, Birmingham Mail, The Journal, South Wales Evening Post and the Live websites including Dublin Live, Belfast Live, Cork Beo and Cork Beo.
The Irish Executive Council of the NUJ is hosting a solidarity gathering at the Larkin statue, O’Connell Street, Dublin at 11am, while NUJ members will picket the Reach offices at Rosemary Street in Belfast.
Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley said Irish members at Reach Plc are taking part in the industrial action in support of the union’s campaign for a fair deal at a time when workers across the company are in hardship because of low pay.
"The contrast with the pay package enjoyed by the Chief Executive Jim Mullen is staggering and it is disappointing that he has obstructed genuine attempts to reach a conciliated settlement," Mr Dooley said. "The board of Reach Plc need to reassess Mr Mullen’s approach to dealing with his own staff."
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said the union accepted the company’s invitation to talks brokered by ACAS, but ultimately, the lack of willingness on the part of Reach chief executive "to budge an inch meant the negotiations were doomed to failure".
"This is a business with cash in the bank, a business that is happy to spend £7 million on lavish pay packages for its top two executives, a business that is about to hand over a further £4 million to shareholders," she said.
"Yet is also a business that believes its hard-working journalists deserve a whopping real-terms pay cut, and refuses to come to an agreement on pay that will ensure our members can keep themselves and their families afloat this winter."
Ms Stanistreet said it is shameful that a media company that positions itself as a voice for communities around the UK and Ireland, with many titles that claim to be an ally of working people, would choose to treat its own staff so poorly.
Following two days of negotiations over the bank holiday weekend, brokered by ACAS the arbitration service, talks between the NUJ and Reach broke down with no deal. NUJ representatives unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in the chief executive, Jim Mullen, added an extra strike day to their planned industrial action and extended the work to rule, as the talks failed to resolve the dispute.
A further three days of strike action will take place during the week of TUC Congress.
