Pay deal settles York strike
JOURNALISTS in York have agreed a pay deal with bosses at Newsquest to settle their ten-month dispute. The 33-strong NUJ chapel at The Press and the Gazette & Herald newspapers voted to accept a 3 per cent increase, but pledged to continue their fight for decent pay.
The agreement followed a five-day strike in May and another day of industrial action in June. Shortly after this action members were hit by news of eight redundancies in the editorial department. A total of 29 jobs are to go within Newsquest’s York division — about 14 per cent of the workforce.
Joint Father of Chapel Sam Southgate said: “These savage cuts demonstrate just what Newsquest employees are up against. We still deserve an above-inflation pay rise that recognises our hard work and commitment. But we are also bound to secure the best deal possible for those who are forced out.
“We will resist any compulsory redundancies and we will carry on our battle against low pay.”
The deal, backdated to January, includes an increase of almost 17 per cent for new trainees and a 13 per cent rise for specialist reporters. It takes the basic rate for seniors to over £20,000 for the first time and includes increases in allowances and bank holiday pay.
Talks for next year’s pay rise are set to begin next month. Management has promised to work with the union on a review of the recognition agreement and the pay banding structure.
‘There’s nothing to fear about taking action’
Joint Fathers of the NUJ Chapel, TONY KELLY and SAM SOUTHGATE, look back at the dispute
IF EVER there was a voyage of discovery, it was the journey into full-scale industrial action.
Only one of our members had been on strike before and the chapel was understandably hesitant; we had backed out twice before in recent years. But after months of fruitless negotiations, the debate came down to whether to strike for five, six or seven days — a marker of just how angry we were.
The dispute was over pay, but members also felt that they were overworked and understaffed and that quality was being surrendered in pursuit of profit.
This found vocal expression on the picket line. Throughout, we were buoyed by the support of the NUJ nationally, fellow trade unionists and journalists around the country and many of our readers.
The strike had a transformative effect and was an education to all. Everyone played their part: from our folk-singing sub-editor Richard Foster to our members clad in Edwardian costume.
The unity which developed within the chapel gave us huge strength. On the picket line we were bonded in purpose, passion and no little humour.
Ultimately it was the announcement of redundancies in the editorial department that was our undoing. These cuts came as a blow to a chapel that was, up to that point, determined to fight on.
Of course, the forces ranged against our side are powerful. Taking on a giant multinational like Newsquest while hamstrung by anti-union laws designed to defeat strike action — and at a time when the government is telling workers they must accept below-inflation pay rises — was a tall order.
We may have waited too long to pull the trigger. Other Newsquest centres had already been forced to accept a poor deal and in future we need to act in unison with NUJ members through the group.
There are other lessons too. Our strike thrust the bosses’ actions into the public eye and caused disruption to the papers’ production. But other tactics, such as our mandatory meeting and the leafleting at a York Press-sponsored event and at the Press Gazette Regional Press Awards upset management more.
Negotiations also brought home how Newsquest is highly centralised and regional managers have extremely limited powers — something to consider in future disputes.
And all of us learnt the true value of solidarity, which we have aimed to extend to other workers striking in York and elsewhere.
Though we did not make the financial gains we had hoped to, we wrung tangible concessions from management: a review of our house agreement and the pay structure, an early date for discussing next year’s claim and a monthly forum to discuss members’ concerns. These can only strengthen the chapel’s hand.
And taking industrial action in the manner we did showed there is nothing to fear about using our ultimate weapon.
There are times when you are genuinely proud of your actions, and those five days are a magnificent addition to the history of our NUJ chapel; we will long savour them.
We may not have scored a major triumph, but we certainly did not suffer a defeat.