Express members star in first action at a national for 18 years
JOURNALISTS at Express Newspapers went on strike for a day in April over a below-inflation pay offer. It was the first stoppage over pay on a London national paper since 1989.
They also wanted to end the outsourcing of editorial work, and to negotiate a productivity deal that would enhance job security.
Further days of industrial action had been planned but were held back as owner Richard Desmond and his managers agreed to talks.
After a week of negotiating a deal was struck under which there will be more talks to bring the outsourced work back inhouse, with the savings used to fund a new productivity deal.
The deal was ratified by the chapel, which covers the Daily and Sunday Express and the Daily and Sunday Star, in offices in London and Broughton in Lancashire, and the 3 per cent pay rise on offer was backdated to January 1.
On the day of the strike — April 3 — the joint Mother of the Chapel, Michelle Stanistreet of the Sunday Express, was due as last year’s President of the union to preside over the opening of the NUJ Annual Delegate Meeting in Belfast, but chose to go to the picket line in the City of London at 6am and catch a morning flight to Belfast, where she took the chair for the afternoon session.