Staff at Newsquest titles in the North West have been told their pay is to be frozen until January 2010, according to internal memos.

An announcement was made to Newsquest staff in the region last Thursday in the name of Jan Lever, managing director of the group’s Blackburn and Bolton centres.

It read: “Following a three-month deferral, in light of current trading conditions, there will be no salary increases until April 2009.

“Salaries will next be reviewed formally in January 2010.”

A similar memo is reported to have been sent to Newsquest employees in Cheshire by North West regional managing director Chris Hughes.

It is not clear whether the pay freeze will be applied nationally to all Newsquest’s 300-plus titles.

Neither Ms Lever nor anyone from Newsquest North West have so far responded to requests for further information.

Comments

NEWSQUEST INMATE (03/03/2009 11:54:20)
Tut tut htfp. You need to do better and get the bigger picture.
The pay freeze is group wide and will soon be followed by enforced unpaid leave and a cut in hours, also across the group.
That will probably be followed by more redundancies. Hopefully, our chief executive, Paul Davidson,will be among them.

Mr_Osato (03/03/2009 14:47:32)
No, no, Davidson’s done a wonderful job – eliminating almost 20 per cent of the workforce is exactly what a stretched and understaffed company which is losing credibility by the hour needs. With 20 per cent fewer people to manage, managers will be taking a 20 per cent pay cut, won’t they?

another p’d off hack… (03/03/2009 16:49:35)
Well predicted inmate – announced this afternoon… yet Newsquest colleagues in another centre know nothing of the ‘voluntary’ unpaid holiday/reduced hours scheme.

happy to be working at Newsquest (05/03/2009 09:35:19)
You all comment on these stories and quiet obviously you don’t want to work for newsquest, as for ‘Newsquest Inmate’ – go and get a job somewhere else – if you don’t like Newsquest and don’t wish to support the company during difficult trading periods LEAVE! We don’t need poison like you in this company.

Mick Tems (06/03/2009 10:55:05)
Well said, Mr Davidson!