Two of Emap’s business titles, Nursing Times and Health Service Journal, will be hit by industrial action next week after NUJ members voted to strike.
The union put in a claim in March for an 8 per cent pay increase across the board along with improved minimum wage and holiday entitlements.
Emap came back with an offer of 3 per cent with an extra 0.5 per cent to staff on the minimum grade (£21,000).
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NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear met Emap Healthcare managing director Nick Morgan last week, but talks ended without an agreement. NUJ members now plan to strike on the press days of both NT and HSJ, next Friday and Tuesday. A one day mandatory meeting will be held before each day of strike action.
An NUJ spokesman said the meetings would prevent any attempts by Emap to bring publication dates forward.
“We have chosen them knowing it will make it impossible for Emap to produce the magazines at 100 per cent volume. We anticipate none of the titles can come out with any news pages,” he said.
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“Our slogan has been ‘don’t dictate, negotiate’, which management hasn’t shown the slightest sign of doing. We are certain that no journalists will cross the picket lines.”
Morgan said: “The decision to take action puts 38 of our journalists, those who voted against and those who are not NUJ members, in a very difficult position. The 3 per cent offer is a fair one and is in line with or ahead of pay rises that have taken place across the market.”
Emap said journalists had settled for 3 per cent pay rises at Reed and IPC and 2.5 per cent at Haymarket and The National Magazine Company.
By Ruth Addicott
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