Union members at the South London Press have agreed a pay deal with management.

The Tindle-owned newspaper originally offered a 3pc increase in April which has now been accepted by the National Union of Journalists chapel after some additions were made.

Increased meal allowances and an extra day of annual leave after five years’ service have been included in the new deal which will be backdated to May.

NUJ father of the chapel Toby Porter said: “The most important thing will be the salary rebanding exercise which we’re in the middle of at the moment.

“We hope that members will get extra money for extra responsibilities such as patches and portfolios.

“This process should be finished in a couple of weeks and affects staff across the board.

“The signs are good. Management has said it wants a more transparent wage structure as do we, so we’re singing from the same hymn sheet.”

Tindle bought the South London Press last August as part of a deal worth £18.75m for the sale of 27 newspaper titles.

South London Press chief executive Peter Edwards was unavailable for comment.