Guardian and Observer journalists have accepted a number of management concessions, meaning the ongoing dispute at the titles has cooled.
But Observer staff transferring over to Tortoise Media do not appear to have any guarantee that they won’t be made redundant by their new employer.
According to one Observer source, anger remains among some stuff about the sale of The Observer to Tortoise Media which was agreed just before Christmas and is set to be concluded in March.
The agreement signals the end of a round of negotiations brokered by ACAS but Press Gazette understands the dispute is not over and journalists could still take further strike action up until April under the mandate allowed by last year’s strike vote. Guardian and Observer journalists took four days of strike action in December in protest at the Observer sale.
Guardian journalists have long enjoyed protection from compulsory redundancies in their NUJ house agreement with management but it is unclear to what the extent this carries across for the 60 Observer journalists expected to transfer to Tortoise Media. Both The Guardian and Tortoise Media declined to comment on this point.
Observer journalists on freelance contracts, such as high-profile opponent of the deal Carole Cadwalladr, will be put on new Tortoise contracts that run until March 2026.
Many Observer feature writers, columnists and photographers have been employed as freelance contractors – with some being in this situation for more than 20 years. If their contracts are not renewed after a year then they will not receive any redundancy payout.
Observer staff employed on a casual basis have not been offered any guarantees in the deal.
Other details of the deal agreed with the joint Guardian/Observer NUJ chapel include the following:
- All Observer staff can take guaranteed voluntary redundancy if they apply before 5 February (on the terms which were offered to all Guardian/Observer staff in summer 2024).
- Observer staff who transfer across can apply for internal Guardian roles for a period of two years.
- Any redundancies made by Tortoise over the next two years will be on the same terms as summer 2024.
- Six new Guardian roles will be created to support the title’s output on Saturdays (which Observer staff can apply for).
A Guardian spokesperson said: “We are pleased to have concluded constructive negotiations with NUJ chapel officers over mitigations for Observer and Guardian staff in relation to the sale of the Observer. We are grateful to everyone who has worked hard to reach a resolution.”
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