Journalists a leading regional publisher have slammed a decision not to offer an across-the-board pay rise this year.

According to the National Union of Journalists, DC Thomson has told staff that any pay rises this year will be “discretionary” and based partly on changes in responsibilities.

However although DC Thomson says 80pc of its staff have received such an increase, the decision has angered the NUJ which had asked for a 9.8pc across-the-board pay increase.

Titles published by the Dundee-based group include the Press and Journal, Aberdeen Evening Express, The Courier, Dundee Evening Telegraph and the Sunday Post.

DC Thomson’s Dundee headquarters.

In an email to staff the company blamed inflation and market pressures, as well as increases to employer’s National Insurance contributions.

Lynsey Scott, chief people officer for DC Thomson, said: “Pay adjustments will be discretionary and carefully determined based on a range of factors including changes in responsibilities, experience in role, skills development and external market benchmarking.”

The NUJ DC Thomson chapel said: “DC Thomson’s decision to refuse to offer any pay rise this year to staff is offensive, not just to our hardworking members, but to all staff employed by DC Thomson.

“The NUJ’s rapidly growing chapel at DC Thomson submitted a costed, reasonable and proportionate pay claim, and asked for a meeting to discuss, but management refused to discuss or engage, preferring to ignore the voice of their editorial staff.

“This will be the second consecutive year no across-the-board pay increase has been offered, after last year’s cost of living crisis and now with household bills and expenditure continuing to go up while our pay stagnates.

“Staff are consistently driving growth and bringing in paying subscribers but this is not being recognised, let alone rewarded, in pay.

Andy Curry, NUJ organiser, added: “DC Thomson is a profitable company who can afford to reward their editorial staff properly. This 0pc pay award is an insult to our members who have been producing great reporting while living through a cost of living crisis.”

A DC Thomson spokesperson said: “More than 80pc of our colleagues across all of our teams have received a discretionary pay increase, based on a number of factors including evolving responsibilities, skills development and external benchmarking.”