Reach PLC is one of the largest commercial publishers in the UK, which owns household brands like the Mirror and the Daily Star as well as many local titles including Bristol Live, and pulls in millions in revenue. But journalists employed by Reach PLC started striking yesterday (Wednesday) after rejecting a 3% pay rise.
As reported by the Cable earlier this week, junior staff at Bristol Live are paid under £20,000 while senior staff are on just £25,000. These low salaries are forcing some journalists to resort to using food banks to feed their families, and all the while the chief exec of Reach PLC Jim Mullen took home £4m last year – 104 times more the median salary of a Reach PLC employee.
Listen in to this week’s episode of Bristol Unpacked with Neil and local NUJ member Paul Breeden on what’s at stake for the Bristol Live strikers, and whether the economically and reputationally battered news industry can ever improve its service to the public.
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