A regional publisher threatened with strike action by 1,000 of its journalists has announced planned cutbacks to its editorial operation.

Reach plc has this afternoon opened a voluntary redundancy scheme to editorial staff due to what it has called “increasingly challenging” marketing conditions, although it is yet to reveal how many journalists it is looking to make redundant.

The move comes amid a pay dispute with the National Union of Journalists, whose members at the group are set to vote on potential strike action after turning down a 3pc salary increase.

In a last-ditch bid to avert the ballot, Reach said it had yesterday put forward a proposal, rejected by the NUJ, to enhance redundancy terms that would have benefited some staff to the tune of “several thousands of pounds”.

The offer by Reach would have seen journalists who previously worked for the Local World group and national dailies the Express and the Star given the same redundancy entitlement as other Reach staff.

With the voluntary redundancy scheme now open, the NUJ may come under pressure from members in those staff cohorts to take the deal on offer in order to enhance their own potential redundancy terms.

The launch of the scheme was revealed in a joint announcement to staff by group editor-in-chief Lloyd Embley, pictured, and chief digital publisher David Higgerson.

Staff interested in applying for the fresh scheme will have until 31 July to do so.

In the memo, which has been seen by HTFP, Lloyd and David said: “As you know, we’re continuing to adapt our business to the changes in the market.

“Building a successful and sustainable long-term future for our business and brilliant brands will mean changing the shape of our business; investing in some areas and restructuring in others.

“You’ll also be very aware of the market conditions, which are increasingly challenging and make operational efficiency even more important.

“We’re passionate about our talented Editorial colleagues and the work you do, so we want to be honest, upfront and fair as we take the business forward.

“As part of a programme to make cost savings across Reach, we’re going to be running a voluntary redundancy programme and have decided to open this up to editorial colleagues today.”

“If you’re interested in potentially taking voluntary redundancy, please email your local leader and cc HR Services by 31st July to express it, and we’ll share a calculation with you and begin a discussion.

“Any requests we receive will not constitute a firm commitment on either side.

“After the end of July, we’ll respond to expressions of interest and be in touch on next steps.”

The latest planned cuts come following a watershed moment last year when the publisher revealed it was employing more journalists than in 2019.

But the recruitment boom has slowed in 2022 after Reach introduced a voluntary redundancy scheme affecting story editors who work in print production, while 31 commercial writers and editors have also been put at risk of redundancy.

A Reach spokesperson told HTFP: “As part of our ongoing transformation, we continue to adapt to changes in the market by restructuring in some areas and investing in others.

“With the added pressure of current macroeconomic pressures on the business, we are now seeking to make these changes through voluntary redundancies in some teams.

“It is essential that we continue to deliver our strategy, in order to protect the long-term health of our newsbrands and we continue to work closely with our teams to achieve this goal.”

Chris Morley, NUJ Reach national coordinator, said: “It is disappointing that the company is looking to make widespread redundancies having trumpeted 12 months ago how success meant it was able to recruit hundreds of extra digital journalists.

“The stop-go nature of journalistic employment just underlines how uncertain its prospects are both to those currently in it and those looking to enter it.

“As an industry, everything that can be done to make it a secure and attractive place to work – especially addressing endemic poor pay – must be done or the constant talent drain will continue to the detriment of all.

“We have asked for immediate information on the numbers of jobs that Reach is seeking to discard and where from, and how it proposes to safely organise workloads so that the impact of those leaving is properly considered and calibrated.

“We are aware that a number of jobs have already been cut in recent weeks from both national and regional operations. The union was additionally informed yesterday that a recruitment freeze has now been adopted too.

“We are seeking consultation on how this is managed to avoid unacceptable burdens on remaining staff and how the company can mitigate the consequences of any redundancy.”