The front pages of this morning’s Daily Mirror and Daily Record newspapers called for a freeze in energy bills. After a poll showing many households were on the brink of “financial despair”, the Mirror’s editorial warned: “Nearly half of families will not be able to afford the increase in gas and electricity bills due to come into force in October.”
Journalists often face accusations of being out of touch with ordinary people’s concerns – and instead focusing on the “bubbles” of politics, big business and celebrity intrigue. But when it comes to the cost of living crisis, Mirror journalists speak from experience. With inflation at 10.1% and a “final” pay offer from management of just 3%, staff at Reach – which owns the Mirror as well as the Record and Express and Star titles – voted to strike. Today is the first of four days of strike action organised by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), though more dates could be added if management fails to better its offer. As well as the paltry pay offer, Reach journalists faced the indignity of a 10% pay cut at the start of the pandemic (now restored) and the closure of many regional offices – forcing journalists in the east Midlands, for instance, to commute to Birmingham.
