Strike wins promise of future pay
NUJ MEMBERS at the Milton Keynes Citizen have reached agreement with management at the paper, following months of negotiations and six days of strike action in January.
The agreement includes the establishment of a working group to check editorial quality at the Johnston Press title.
Journalists agreed to accept an offer of 3 per cent on 2007 pay – with more for the lower-paid. This will be backdated to April last year and negotiations on 2008 pay are to begin at once.
NUJ National Organiser Barry Fitzpatrick said: “Members at the Citizen are pleased that management has recognised journalists’ concerns about investment in their local papers. When fewer journalists are being called upon to fill ever more column inches, there is a clear danger that quality will suffer.
“We’re looking forward to constructive negotiations on 2008 pay that will ensure journalists at the paper can continue to concentrate on what they do best: reporting the news rather than making it.”