A pay freeze imposed by local and regional newspaper publisher Johnston Press has been extended into next year.

The company, like the vast majority of other UK local newspaper publishers, originally announced a pay freeze before Christmas.

Now it has told staff that the review initially planned for this summer has been put back until 2010.

A press statement issued today said: “All UK based Johnston Press employees have been informed that, in view of the effect of the current economic situation on company profits and UK price inflation, no salary reviews will take place in 2009.

“This follows the company’s decision last December to defer the decision on salary reviews for a period of six months. The next salary reviews will be in 2010.”

This latest development comes after Johnston Press announced it was cancelling attempts to sell it newspaper titles based in the Republic of Ireland.

In an interim management statement issued yesterday, JP said it had not received a high enough offer for the titles as well as revealing ad revenues were down 34.4pc for the first 19 weeks of 2009.

Comments

Jan (14/05/2009 14:09:57)
“A press statement issued today said: “All UK based Johnston Press employees have been informed that, in view of the effect of the current economic situation on company profits and UK price inflation, no salary reviews will take place in 2009…”
I must have missed that piece of information. Nice of them to break it via HTFP instead.

JP Grind (14/05/2009 15:57:45)
Inevitable news but anyone else wondering why anyone with an ounce of accountancy sense doesn’t cut out the excessive levels of middle-management (complete with whacking great unused pool cars, paid-for-parking and huge offices). Surely you could squeeze in a fair few trainee reporters (on JP wages of course) in place of the single wage of an unproductive, highly-paid middle manager?

FAST WOMAN (14/05/2009 17:35:31)
Ahh, but you see, JP Grind, the middle managers actually do some vital work. They’re the very people who go through the spreadsheets and key performance indicators before producing magnificent reports making their way to boardrooms.
Reports like where the next round of cuts should be. So, recognising their own valuable expertise, they’re hardly likely to recommend giving themselves the old heave-ho, are they?

mel (14/05/2009 18:10:34)
It does depend on how one defines a middle manager I think.
Are you saying JP should get rid of deputy editors (who are, of course, middle managers)? Because I wouldn’t support something like that – it would have a real impact on the newsroom.
As a reporter, I could see the savings in cutting, for example, a deputy ad director. But the people who work in the advertising department may view them as equally vital.

Michael (15/05/2009 14:19:23)
For goodness sake let’s keep a sense of perspective instead of peopel who haven’t the faintest idea of how a business works trotting out this jingoistic, emotive nonsense.

JP Grind (15/05/2009 15:45:31)
Fair point Michael – a spotlight could provide some uncomfortable reading. While Rome burned, they fiddled…

J (19/05/2009 11:13:57)
I heard about the pay freeze via a fax I found. I agree that some middle managers should be scrapped along with some pool cars (some of which are dangerous anyway).