The Guardian’s head honchos are trying to work out how to keep the paper in print on the 4th and 5th of December when the majority of their staff look set to strike over the Observer sale. They’re rattling through the usual strikebreaking tactics…
So far bosses have tried getting HR to innocently ask staff what their plans are for the strike days so they can sort out “contingency plans.” That’s much to the chagrin of the NUJ, which responds by saying hacks “are under no obligation to tell their management of their intentions. We are advising all NUJ members at The Guardian and Observer not to engage with such inappropriate requests from the company.” James Harding’s slow news outlet Tortoise has been busy justifying its attempt to buy the Observer by saying “everyone can see it is heading down a path to irrelevance and, probably sooner rather than later, closure.” Not sure that’ll calm tensions…
Editor Kath Viner is reportedly approaching hacks one-on-one to try to convince them not to strike. The paper might want to start gathering a few spare left-wing hacks to bus through the picket line in two weeks’ time. If only the Guardian had those minimum service levels it so strongly opposed…
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”