Newsquest next for pay freeze, predicts NUJ

The NUJ says there is growing evidence that Newsquest is following Trinity Mirror and imposing a pay freeze on all staff.

It says NUJ chapels of Newsquest’s titles are reporting a freeze on pay rises from January, with the option of a “review” later in the year.

Newsquest staff in York, Darlington, in South Essex, Bolton and Bury and on the Glasgow Herald & Times have all been told that their pay will be frozen, with a review later in the year, the union reports.

The NUJ said it will be asking the Newsquest titles to justify the freeze.

Chris Morley, the NUJ's Northern & Midlands organiser, said: “We now have growing evidence that Newsquest is trying to bring in a pay freeze across the group by stealth for 2012 at a time of unprecedented hardship for our members. If there is no increase in 2012, it will be the third year in four that salaries have failed to rise.

"This is unsustainable for massively hard-pressed staff who have not only had to contend with a 5 per cent erosion of their pay by inflation, but also had to take heavier workloads due to waves of redundancies.

“We know from past experience that the pain is not necessarily shared by the fat cats in the boardroom and the NUJ challenges the directors to publish their remuneration packages in full for 2012. If they refuse to do this, then there will be few of their loyal staff who will believe that they are truly all in it together when it comes to belt-tightening.”