Pay talks are to resume at the Southern Daily Echo after management agreed to go to conciliation service ACAS.

National Union of Journalists members at the Southampton-based paper are calling for an increase on a 2.5 per cent pay offer, and last week held two days of strike action in protest.

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear also wrote to managing director Stewart Dunn at Newsquest Hampshire in an effort to resume talks, and management have now agreed to go to ACAS, which provides an independent service which aims to resolve employment relations disputes.

Stewart Dunn and Echo editor-in-chief Ian Murray are due to meet with union representatives and ACAS next week.

Sally Churchward, spokesperson for the Southampton NUJ chapel, said a mandatory chapel meeting scheduled for this week had been postponed until after the ACAS meeting.

Union members will then meet to discuss whether an agreement can be reached, or if further industrial action needs to be considered.

Sally said: "We are quite hopeful that, if they are prepared to go to ACAS, they will come round the table with a sensible offer."

Ian Murray said: "The NUJ wrote to us and requested a meeting involving ACAS. We pointed out that as part of a procedural agreement they should have requested that before they took strike action, but agreed to their request."