A planned strike by National Union of Journalists members at Newcastle Chronicle and Journal Ltd has been averted.

Union members at the company had voted to hold a 48-hour strike over pay on Wednesday and Thursday June 26 and 27.

But NC&J, which publishes The Journal, Evening Chronicle, Sunday Sun and Herald & Post series, have now agreed to go to ACAS with the union in the hope of resolving the dispute.

NC&J father of chapel Will Mapplebeck said: "The company has now agreed to go to ACAS, which was one of the NUJ's demands, so the planned strike will not take place."

The union, which has more than 100 members among the 170-strong editorial workforce, is asking for a four per cent increase across the board.

Originally, NC&J put forward a two per cent pay offer, and later also offered to further increase trainee wages and raise the minimums - offers which the union declined.

Will said: "Our members are very angry about the two per cent pay offer that the company has put forward.

"There have been redundancies at NC&J over the past five or six months and my members are having to pick up the baton and do those people's work for them."

But David Rowland, human resources director at NC&J, said that outside of the pay award, a major benchmarking exercise for journalists had seen an additional £140,000 invested in editorial salaries.

He also said that the pay offer reflected the challenging times the media industry faced, adding: "Everyone in the company was made fully aware of the need for the sensible control of costs during 2002."

The dispute is the latest in a series of NUJ-led action around the country this year.

There is an ongoing dispute in south Lincolnshire, where journalists at the Spalding Guardian/Lincolnshire Free Press are halfway through a 10-day stoppage.

There have also been disputes at the Bradford Telegraph & Argus and its associated weekly newspapers, and at the Greater Manchester Weekly Newspapers group, both of which were resolved.

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
e-mail pastill@nep.co.uk