A deal on pay and pensions has been reached at the Carlisle News & Star.

National Union of Journalists members there have accepted a two-year pay deal from parent company CN Group, which the union says will see all editorial staff receive a rise, based on August’s RPI plus one per cent, in October – three months early – and RPI plus 0.25 per cent in January 2009.

Some pay banding minimum rates have also been increased, with a trainee starting wage rising from £13,200 to £15,200.

The same core deal has also been agreed at Barrow at the North West Evening Mail.

But NUJ members at sister paper the Whitehaven News are still deliberating an improved offer from the company relating to pay bandings there.

A half-day mandatory chapel meeting was held on Monday, at which members agreed to suspend further action pending talks which took place on Tuesday.

The dispute at the company began when CN Group announced it was to close its final-salary pension scheme, and then replaced it with a defined contribution pension scheme in April.

In addition to pay rises staff have had a one-off payment of seven per cent of their salary paid into the scheme, death in service benefit has been doubled and free financial advice is available.

Julian Whittle, NUJ FoC at Carlisle said of the pay deal there: “People are still very disappointed that the pension scheme had to close. We understand where the company was coming from, but felt there were other options that they could have explored.

“The compensation has gone some way to helping, although not far enough, and the increase in pay is a step in the right direction.

“An above inflation increase, which the company was previously reluctant to do, is progress and gives people the option to put more into the pension scheme.” Do you have a story about the regional press?
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