Birmingham and Coventry National Union of Journalists

Overwhelming Vote For Strike Action At Guardian And Observer

Journalists on the Guardian and Observer have voted overwhelmingly for strike action over compulsory redundancies.

More than 80 per cent (81.6%) voted for strike action over the redundancies and to defend existing terms and conditions at the two titles.

Barry Fitzpatrick, NUJ deputy general secretary, said: "We are still in talks at Acas, the conciliation service, and hope for a negotiated settlement. The editor Alan Rusbridger and the Guardian management must now reflect on the strength of the vote and what is says in terms of their staff's confidence in them. The union has suggested a whole range of cost-cutting measures - including cuts to executive pay, job sharing and more part-time working. The management has taken a serious risk of jeopardising the culture within the Guardian by trying to force through compulsory redundancies."

Brian Williams, Guardian FoC, said: "The result speaks for itself. We will use this strong message from the chapel as the basis for establishing the future stability of the company, taking into account the concerns of the papers' journalists."
http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=2794