AddThis SmartLayers

Journalists’ union calls for pay rise of up to 8pc

Union chiefs have repeated calls for regional publisher Newsquest to end its pay freeze – claiming its journalists have now worked 1,000 days without a rise.

The National Union of Journalists is asking for an increase of between 5-8pc in its pay claim to management which it is submitting today.

And NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear has also written to Craig A Dubow, the chairman and chief executive of Newsquest’s parent company Gannett, to raise concerns about pay and pensions.

The move comes after proposals by Newsquest to close its final salary pension scheme were revealed last month, with the union saying it could mean pensions were frozen at 2007 levels.

Bob Smith, father of the NUJ’s Newsquest group chapel, said: “Decent pay and pensions for all is the only sustainable basis for long-term success.

“Paying poverty pay and pensions causes higher levels of staff turnover, absenteeism, resentment, demoralisation and lack of motivation.

“The NUJ fights to protect and improve pay and conditions for all journalists. It is simply not acceptable for Newsquest to pay out big money to the people at the top and expect the rest of the staff to tighten their belts year after year.”

The union claims journalists based in Bradford, Darlington and York have been offered new contracts which state there is no automatic annual pay review.

Newsquest chief executive Paul Davidson had not responded to requests for a comment at the time of publication.

6 comments

You can follow all replies to this entry through the comments feed.
  • September 27, 2010 at 1:41 pm
    Permalink

    Newsquest chief executive Paul Davidson had not responded to requests for a comment at the time of publication. Call that news? It would be news if he did respond. Newsquest’s latest idea of ‘consultation’ is to threaten those on the pension scheme with dismissal if they refuse to accept amended contracts. This, they say, would be followed by re-employment on new contracts. Would you trust them?

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • September 27, 2010 at 3:08 pm
    Permalink

    As a Newsquest employee, I find the attitude of management to employees is utterly soul-destroying. You’re expected to work harder and harder, with no hint of any recompense from management for the effort you put in. That Paul Davidson cannot even be bothered to respond to this story is both unsurprising and yet speaks volumes for his consideration for his employees.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • September 27, 2010 at 3:49 pm
    Permalink

    Pay rise? In this industry? What a joke. I am a journalist working for a free weekly and when I got a contract I had a pay cut compared with my freelance fees. I have a PPE degree from Oxford, a couple of years’ experience and I get £12,000 a year. It’s completely ridiculous.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • September 28, 2010 at 5:19 pm
    Permalink

    There isn’t an employer in the land who could not afford to pay his/her weekly and monthly seniors a minimum of £21K a year or pay his/her evening/morning/broadcasting/PR seniors a minimum of £26K a year – and there are plenty of titles who can also afford to pay long-serving seniors £30-40K a year.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • September 28, 2010 at 9:20 pm
    Permalink

    You are right Chris, but that isn’t the point. With so many journalists out of work and so many more newbies flooding into the profession from all these training courses, they don’t have to. It’s market forces, supply and demand. What we need is for a lot of the collage courses to either close or take fewer people on, to alter the market. But that won’t happen. So low wages and dodgy practice will continue.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • September 29, 2010 at 7:23 am
    Permalink

    The NUJ fights to protect and improve pay and conditions for all journalists. The NUJ does little other than bitch and moan about how much people should be paid, and how much conditions should improve. All bark and no bite – has everyone forgotten the resounding success that was industrial action against JP Group? One shameful botch up by the union and then all talk of a reballot. Remind me, how did the reballot go again? I’d be interested to see the number of memberships cancelled after that sham. Union? What a farce.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)