The National Union of Journalists is demanding immediate national talks with Newsquest after the company dropped a “pension bombshell”.

According to the union, the company is claiming a £65m pensions deficit, and has told staff that to keep their current final salary pension scheme they must increase their contributions from six per cent to ten per cent over the next four years – which could cost someone on £20,000 an extra £40 per month..

Under this option Newsquest would also increase its contribution from six per cent to 12 per cent – a figure the NUJ says is far below what other comparable employers in the sector contribute.

Apart from increasing their contributions to keep the final salary scheme, the options available include paying in less for an inferior version, changing to a money purchase – or defined contribution – scheme, or opting out altogether.

The NUJ says pension scheme members were handed the news in a letter on Friday, and in a lengthy document have also been given details of the various options. Newsquest employs about 8,500 people at 18 daily titles and almost 300 weekly newspapers, as well as at print centres and digital media centres.

Chris Morley, NUJ northern organiser, claimed there had been no attempt by Newsquest to consult with any trade unions, and called for national talks to let the NUJ ask the “many questions” that members were already asking the union.

It is understood that Newsquest has begun a consultation period at a local level, which will run until September, although no one from Newsquest has returned HoldtheFrontPage’s calls for comment.

Chris said: “This is a sudden and shocking blow and we are demanding immediate talks at national level over it. Newquest must not be allowed to make a change like this in such a high-handed fashion.

“In comparison to other company schemes, theirs is a relatively small deficit and does not warrant this sledgehammer approach. The NUJ want to ask management some tough questions about the measures they are proposing – none is satisfactory.”

He added: “The important thing is that everything else at Newsquest is negotiated locally, but this is a national pension scheme and we believe there should be national talks.”

The union says that Newsquest began its three-yearly formal valuation of the company scheme in April, but results have yet to be published. Instead, the figures used by the company are based on those from a less detailed estimated value taken as part of the end of year accounts on December 31.

Chris said: “Not only is this action unnecessary, it is also premature. It would seem more sensible to wait for the full results of the valuation currently being carried out and then begin a proper consultation.

“We will be consulting with our sister print union Amicus about how we respond to this rash and deeply disturbing company announcement.”

Newsquest was formed in January 1996 in order to effect a management buy-out of Reed Regional Newspapers. Its successful bid was backed by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, a US private equity partnership. The company was bought by the UK arm of American media group Gannett in 1999.

Its daily titles include The Herald (Glasgow), The Northern Echo (Darlington), Telegraph & Argus (Bradford), Evening Times (Glasgow), Southern Daily Echo (Southampton), The Argus (Brighton), The Press (York), Oxford Mail and South Wales Argus (Newport). Weekly publications include Berrow’s Worcester Journal, the oldest continuously published newspaper in the world and Exchange & Mart.

Together, the portfolio has a weekly readership of more than 13m and a weekly circulation of more than 10m copies.