The NewsGuild-CWA, which represents media workers in north America, says it “stands with the courageous journalists in south London who are striking the Gannett-owned Newsquest”.
It has sent this statement by its president, Bernie Lunzer, to the National Union of Journalists:
“What these journalists are fighting for, we are all fighting for. Our members face exactly this kind of greed and arrogance from Gannett and other corporate media owners.
They reward top executives with fat salaries and bonuses but plead poverty when it comes to raises for employees, even though they are working harder than ever.
In the strongest possible terms, the guild calls upon Newsquest/Gannett to show its employees the respect they deserve by paying them fair wages, maintaining adequate staffing levels, ending the constant cycle of cuts and reinvesting in its news products.
The company fails to understand that the disrespect they are showing to their workers is disrespect to their readers, their customers. You simply cannot keep doing more, or even the same amount of work, or the same quality of work, with eviscerated staffs whose remaining workers are exhausted, stressed and fearful that their job will be the next one to go”.
