Journalists working for a regional newspaper could be set to lose extra pay for working bank holidays and Sundays.
The National Union of Journalists says letters have been sent to staff at the Southern Daily Echo in Southampton informing them that the payments would be scrapped as a cost-cutting measure.
Staff at the Newsquest-owned title are currently paid £60 for working Sundays and bank holidays and receive a day in lieu. They also get £7.50 per day for starting work earlier than 7.30am.
According to the union, a letter was sent to staff on 24 January saying the company was going to scrap the payments to save the company £50,000 a year.
David Brine, a National Union of Journalists representative at the Echo, said the current system, had been running for the 13 years that he had been with the paper.
He said: “Obviously it is effectively a pay cut for staff. The union is absolutely against it.”
A meeting between the union and management will be held this afternoon and a consultation will conclude at the end of the month.
Barry Fitzpatrick, NUJ deputy general secretary, said: “We will be strongly resisting the management’s arbitrary removal of contractual payments for working Bank Holidays and Sundays.
“The journalists are not well paid and it is an insult to repay their dedication by such a petty action. We are entering consultation over the changes and hope that the management will see sense; our members are very aggrieved.”
No-one from Newsquest had responded to a request for a comment at the time of publication.
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It’s such a mean-spirited snatch back that I’m almost surprised they have the gumption to even suggest it. I hate to think what else such management has up its grasping sleeve. They must be sharpening the knives…
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“No-one from Newsquest had responded e.t.c.”
The writing staff at HTFP should be applauded for their persistence in still trying to get someone from Newsquest to comment after all these years. Some might argue that HTFP isn’t achieving anything here, but I think the site is doing a good job of showing up Newsquest’s arrogance and total lack of respect for its editorial employees.
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Could there be a lot of staff going sick on Bank Holidays and Sundays …..??
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It’s right and proper that such payments should be made, although it’s not a concept known to many working on weekly papers. I remember when we had a new editor at our paper. He overheard staff discussing what they were going to do on the forthcoming Bank Holiday Monday. He then turned to me, his right-hand man, and said indignantly “I’ve not said they can have Monday off.” I replied “No, indeed you haven’t. But then neither have you negotiated bank holiday payments.” The subject was never raised again. The staff (except for duty reporters) got their day off.
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Already happened elsewhere
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Yeah we’ll just work round the clock seven days a week and we won’t expect a penny more for being here on bank holidays or Sundays when all the company directors are either tucked up in their beds or on foreign holidays.
For we have learned these charitable ways from our generous employers.
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