By Hamish Mackay
The Daily Record’s NUJ journalists are set to strike on the day of
the general election after pay talks with the management broke down.
And NUJ journalists on sister paper the Sunday Mail could strike on
the day of the Scottish FA Cup Final between Celtic and Dundee United
on 28 May.
The 212 NUJ members on the two tabloids voted 92 per cent (118-5) in favour of industrial action.
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They
are protesting against the management’s offer of a 2.5 per cent pay
increase, which is thought to be lower than that agreed with Trinity
Mirror employees elsewhere in the UK.
There is also a complaint against the compulsory redundancy of Sam Mairs, a member of the picture desk.
The
NUJ claim Mairs is being forced to go despite previous assurances that
there would be no such action. It wrote to managing director Mark
Hollinshead to inform him it plans two days of working strictly to
contract on 3 May and 4 May, followed by a full strike the next day –
polling day.
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And it is understood the group chapel will target 28 May if management refuses to hold further talks.
It is almost certain that a Daily Record will appear on 6 May to report on the general election results.
Non-striking
staff will have access to Daily Mirror stories plus news agency
reports, and executives will be asked to bring out the paper.
NUJ
Scottish organiser Paul Holleran said: “We have been in the process of
balloting for a couple of weeks. The ball is now in the management’s
court.
“We are proud that there hasn’t been a newspaper strike in
Scotland for 20 years. That is how angry people at the Daily Record and
Sunday Mail are at management behaviour.”
The mood of the NUJ
members was not helped when Frank Morgan, the NUJ FOC of the group
chapel, was reported to be furious at an instruction by the company’s
Glasgow-based head of human resources to stop sending emails to NUJ
members, and to stop posting union notices.
A spokesman for
Scottish Daily Record & Sunday Mail Ltd told Press Gazette: “We
remain in discussion with the union and continue to work extremely hard
to resolve this situation.
Contrary to reports, we certainly have not prevented the NUJ from communicating with its members.”
It
is understood that Morgan was told it was not acceptable for him to
email non-NUJ members via the company global email system. BAJ general
secretary Steve Turner has advised his members to work normally.
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