Journalists from two British newspapers will begin a 48-hour strike on Wednesday in protest against the possible sale of one of the newspapers. Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) union at The Guardian and The Observer are stepping down from work for the first time in more than fifty years. They protest against the planned sale of The Observer to news site Tortoise Media.
The journalists will set up a strike picket outside the headquarters of The Guardian and sister newspaper The Observer in London. The union says the strike coincides with the 233rd anniversary of the first publication of The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper.
According to trade unionist Laura Davidson, journalists voted en masse for a strike in order to “show readers and managers how concerned they are about the future of the newspaper”. “The Observer has a unique and important place in public life. Our members care about the next chapter in history.”
The union is calling for exclusive talks to be suspended, more time to explore alternatives, and to ensure that decisions are in the interests of both newspapers.