View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
February 9, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 6:13pm

Telegraph snubs badly paid staff, claims NUJ

By Press Gazette

By Dominic Ponsford

Journalists at the Telegraph Group have passed an NUJ motion that "condemns the management’s refusal" to help lower paid journalists while recruiting "ever-increasing numbers of highly paid executives".

The motion was passed after NUJ members "reluctantly" accepted a 3 per cent pay deal, up from an original offer of 2.5 per cent, which failed to tackle union demands that minimum pay rates are increased.

The motion said the chapel "resolves to pursue all available means of rectifying the anomalies caused by the continuing absence of a fair and transparent pay structure".

Meanwhile, journalists at two other national newspaper groups were this week threatening strike action — at The Independent over pay and at Mirror Group over redundancy terms.

Journalists in the joint Independent NUJ chapel were due to meet on Thursday to discuss striking over a management pay offer of 2.5 per cent.

Mother of chapel Kate Simon said: "There’s a clear feeling that people think 2.5 per cent is not enough of a recognition of the hard work that people have put in to turn The Independent tabloid and start turning around the paper’s fortunes.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

"People want a bit of a reward, but the company are telling us they have not got the money. We are part of a multinational profit-making company — people think they are being very mean and tight-fisted."

Last year, journalists at Independent titles were given a 3 per cent pay rise plus improvements to their pension deal, which the NUJ said equated to a 4 per cent rise overall. The current retail price index rate of inflation is 2.2 per cent.

At Mirror Group, journalists are currently holding an official ballot over whether to strike over the terms for 40 staff on the national titles who have been made redundant.

At Express Group, journalists have backed away from industrial action this year and settled for a rise of 2.4 per cent.

An NUJ source there said: "Negotiations have gone on for quite a long time, we had a bit of industrial action last year and I don’t think there was any great enthusiasm to go through that again.

"The vote to accept the offer was at a fairly badly attended chapel meeting — people were very upset at the amount of money, but not prepared to go through the aggravation for themselves and the company to try to get more."

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network