By Dominic Ponsford
Journalists at the Belfast office of the Sunday World have secured a
major pay boost after arguing that they deserve to be paid the same as
their colleagues in the paper’s Dublin office.
The deal is believed to bring the rate for senior journalists based
in Belfast to £36,000, which is understood to be within 10 per cent of
that paid to their colleagues south of the border.
NUJ assistant
secretary (Ireland)n Seamus Dooley said: “For a number of years,
journalists on the Belfast edition of the Sunday World have been
significantly worse off than their southern counterparts. Negotiations
have been going on over the last year under the auspices of the Labour
Relations Agency.
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“It’s a breakthrough for journalists on the
Sunday World in Northern Ireland and it’s the ending of long-standing
discriminatory practices.”
Eight journalists have been affected by the deal and all are understood to have secured “substantial” increases.
According to Dooley, one individual’s pay packet has almost doubled as a result of the deal.
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The
Sunday World sells 62,999 in Northern Ireland and 205,390 in the
south.In May, journalists went on strike at the Sunday World’s sister
title, Belfast Telegraph, also owned by Independent News & Media,
following a similar pay dispute.
Journalists on the Telegraph and
Sunday Life argued that they were paid far less than other papers in
the group such as the Irish Independent and the Independent in
London.According to the NUJ, reporters and sub-editors on The Belfast
Telegraph earn £18,000- £24,000. Trainees reportedly start on around
£14,000.
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