Regional publisher Johnston Press today announced it was extending its pay freeze for a further six months.

But the company’s chief executive John Fry expressed hopes that it will be in a position to award pay increases by the summer so long as trading conditions remain stable.

Staff at all JP titles were given 9am briefings by their managers on the decision to extend the freeze this morning.

In a statement issued at midday, the company said: “In view of the continued uncertainty in advertising revenues, 2010 pay reviews will be deferred for a period of six months for all UK-based employees.”

Mr Fry added: “Although there are signs of stability in advertising revenues, we must remain cautious in order to secure the long-term future of our company.

“We should be in a position to award pay increases in six months’ time if trading remains stable.”

However the decision to extend the pay freeze is likely to put the company on collision course with the National Union of Journalists which is preparing to submit a pay claim for a minimum increase of £1,000 or 5pc, whichever is the higher.

Pete Lazenby, father of the Yorkshire Post/Yorkshire Evening Post chapel in Leeds, told HTFP: “We will be taking up this issue at the JP group chapel.”

JP is not the only major regional publisher to decide to extend its 2009 pay freeze into the New Year.

Northcliffe Media has already said it expects the freeze to continue for the rest of its financial year, which ends in September, although it has left open the possibility of lifting it before then if trading conditions improve.

Comments

hacker (18/12/2009 13:08:17)
Disgraceful. The firm is still profitable. Are shareholders getting a dividend freeze? Merry Christmas JP.

Prionmonkey (18/12/2009 13:54:09)
The directors should be sacked. If I lost the company £400m I would expect to be sacked. They are useless. Their strategies are moronic their grasp of business poor their grasp of news is non-existant.
Sack them all.

Johnston Press Employee (18/12/2009 14:15:51)
If I, as a reporter, got the company sued by way of not doing my job properly I would be reprimanded at the very least – if not sacked. Now, explain to me how the moneymen (not doing their job properly) are still in a position to drive local papers further to the brink of collapse? I hope the people who made the foul-ups can live with themselves this Christmas, while other honest, hard-working people (who did their jobs properly) sit out of work. Disgraceful.

Subbed to death (21/12/2009 09:27:37)
As per usual these pay freezes will probably not affect the fat cats’ bonuses. When I queried this last time they refused to answer that question. It really is time the NUJ got its claws out and actually made a stand for its members!

JP slave (21/12/2009 10:24:57)
The company is a joke. I heard they’ve said that the cost of living will drop by 0.8 per cent (or something) as one of the ways to justify what they’re doing. Well, my council tax is set to rise and VAT is heading back up among other things so not sure how they’ve figured that out.
All the big cheeses will enjoy Christmas on their unjustifiably fat salaries, while we contemplate another year of being overworked and underpaid.
If it wasn’t so hard to get work elsewhere I’m sure a lot more people would have jumped ship by now – then the company might realise how lucky they are to have the people they’ve got, and I don’t mean the idiots who got us into this mess.

cracker (23/12/2009 13:09:30)
poor,no pay increase for workers, are management still getting bonus?