Three-year deal that beats the pay freeze
THE NUJ is winning pay rises for members — despite job cuts, the poor performance of most media companies and the announcement of pay freezes in some offices.
One of the best, and most surprising, deals is at the Telegraph group in London, and it’s guaranteed for three years. The annual rises will be 2 per cent, 1.5 per cent, and 2.5 per cent — with the last year open to re-negotiation if the inflation rate is more than 3.5 or less than 1.5 per cent.
Industrial relations at the Telegraph have been difficult and Barry Fitzpatrick, NUJ Head of Publishing, said: “In the current climate the chapel have done extremely well.”
In Scotland, STV has agreed a pay deal worth between 3 and 5 per cent. Clyde and Forth Press in Ayrshire, which publishes titles including the Greenock Telegraph and Paisley People, has awarded a 2.5 per cent rise.
At the Scarborough Evening News, the NUJ chapel accepted a 3.25 per cent rise — just before owners Johnston Press implemented a group-wide pay freeze.
NUJ chapels at B2B publisher Informa have won a 5 per cent rise, while publishers Orion and Random House have also agreed pay rises from 2.5 to 4 per cent.
Pay freezes have been announced — among others — at The Guardian, Express Newspapers, the Financial Times and Independent News and Media, plus at papers in the Newsquest, Johnston Press and Trinity Mirror groups.