The Guardian UK is set to cull 250 roles from its ranks, 100 of those being journos and 150 in non-editorial roles.
The Telegraph UK is reporting the depletion brings upon the threat of compulsory redundancies. Kath Viner, editor of The Guardian, and Daniel Pemsel, chief executive of The Guardian Group reportedly told employees they would aim to rely on voluntary redundancies, but some could end up being compulsory.
“In light of the volatile media environment, there is an urgent need for radical action,” Viner and Pemsel said, according to The Telegraph.
“While protecting journalism remains our priority, we anticipate the impact will be spread across all departments, including editorial. We hope to achieve the target reductions through voluntary redundancy.
“If we do not achieve the reductions we are targeting by voluntary means, we will consider whether compulsory redundancies are necessary.”
Guardian Australia said the cuts do not affect the Australia or US markets.
A spokesperson for Guardian Australia said: “It’s business as usual, the financial model for Guardian Australia will not change as a result of the plans outlined by David Pemsel and Katharine Viner and there are no cuts planned locally.”
In January, The Guardian had announced plans to reduce costs across its News & Media arm by 20 per cent to break even within three years.
“A faster than expected downturn in print advertising and slower increase in digital revenues, combined with the costs of international expansion, means that the company’s outgoings have outpaced revenues over the past five years,” the original announcement said.
B&T understands these job losses are a result of part of the cost-cutting strategy.
It’s painful in other newspaper areas too as Fairfax Media journos felt the wrath yesterday when 120 jobs were slashed.
And in response, journos from Fairfax mastheads have gone on strike until Monday.
