Guardian owner to discuss Observer sale days before strike action

Journalists astatine The Guardian volition signifier their archetypal onslaught enactment successful implicit fractional a period adjacent period successful protestation astatine its publisher's determination to merchantability The Observer, the world's oldest Sunday newspaper, to a five-year-old start-up.

Sky News has learnt that unit volition locomotion retired for 2 days connected December 4 and 5 amid an escalating enactment implicit the title's future.

One insider described the two-day onslaught arsenic the archetypal successful what could beryllium a bid of actions by staff.

Sources said connected Wednesday that directors of the Scott Trust, the eventual proprietor of the Guardian and Observer newspapers, would sermon whether to backmost the merchantability to Tortoise Media astatine a gathering adjacent Monday.

They are expected to enactment the determination of Guardian Media Group (GMG) absorption to proceed with the negotiations, with Anna Bateson, the company's main executive, having promised to scope a decision earlier Christmas.

The Scott Trust has pledged to clasp a tiny involvement successful The Observer if the woody goes ahead.

The exclusive discussions with Tortoise Media - which were revealed by Sky News successful September - person been made much analyzable by the evident emergence of 2 consortia expressing involvement successful making a counterbid for The Observer.

One root said that portion GMG had been contacted by representatives of 2 putative investors, they had offered nary item astir their underlying backers.

Lord (David) Sainsbury, a subordinate of the supermarket chain's founding family, has been rumoured for weeks to beryllium progressive successful 1 of those imaginable rival offers.

However, emails to a media enquiries code posted connected his website were returned arsenic undeliverable, and it was unclear whether the adjacent had immoderate involvement successful owning a involvement successful The Observer.

Ms Bateson told GMG employees past period that erstwhile Tortoise Media - co-founded by erstwhile Times exertion James Harding - approached it astir buying The Observer, "we were already opening to deliberation astir the aboriginal of the title, fixed its fiscal concern and the information it is simply a UK-only, Sunday people newspaper".

"It became wide that this was a superior connection that could make a much sustainable concern strategy for The Observer."

Mr Harding has promised to proceed publishing The Observer arsenic a Sunday newspaper, though media executives person questioned the viability of doing truthful successful the agelong term.

He has confirmed talks to rise £25m from caller and existing shareholders to put successful The Observer.

If the woody proceeds, it would correspond the archetypal alteration successful ownership of The Observer, which was archetypal published successful 1791, successful implicit 3 decades.

Sources said that the astir caller concern enactment involving Guardian journalists took spot successful 1971, arsenic portion of a wide onslaught coordinated by the TUC.

In caller days, ACAS has hosted talks betwixt the newspapers' chapel and GMG management, without a solution being reached.

Current and erstwhile unit person accused GMG and the Scott Trust of betraying a committedness to support the newspaper.

Ms Bateson moved to code that disapproval past month, saying that "The Scott Trust exists unambiguously to enactment the Guardian" and citing minutes from a 1993 committee meeting.

She besides warned employees that if the merchantability to Tortoise Media collapsed, "the presumption quo is not an option", with "difficult choices" needing to beryllium made "urgently".

Last month, an unfastened missive signed by starring figures from the arts and civilization including Bill Nighy, Hugh Grant, Mary Beard and Ralph Fiennes labelled the prospective woody "disastrous".

"While figures of £100m are being bid for different publications [a notation to the caller merchantability of The Spectator magazine], this poorly funded attack sets the worth of the Observer astatine oregon adjacent zero," the missive said.

Earlier this week, a GMG spokesperson said: "We recognise the spot of feeling astir the projected merchantability of the Observer.

"We cognize that imaginable alteration is unsettling and admit that NUJ members privation to marque their views heard.

"Our precedence is to bash what is close for the Guardian and the Observer truthful that some titles proceed to beforehand wide journalism and thrive successful a challenging media environment.

"We volition proceed our talks with the NUJ."