News Union, the company-funded union within News UK, has described the 2025-26 pay talks as “the most disappointing in years”.
Staff have been offered a pay rise of 2.25% which only applies to the first £80,000 of salary. Performance-related bonuses have been set at £600, £750 and £1,000
In a note to colleagues News Union general secretary Jeremy Vine said: “In the union’s view, employees are being made to shoulder the cost of the company’s increased Employer National Insurance contributions. Rather than absorbing these costs corporately, the executive team has chosen to suppress the base pay award, using it, in effect, to offset the company’s HMRC liabilities.”
He also said that staff at News UK titles (which incude The Sun, The Times, and Talksport “have faced wave after wave of restructures and redundancies, placing ever-greater pressure on those who remain. Workloads have increased. Responsibilities have expanded. Recognition has been absent.”
He added: “An enforced return-to-office policy was imposed without flexibility or adequate justification.
“The ‘three-days-in’ rule, applied to part-time staff without pro-rata adjustment, has disproportionately affected those with caring responsibilities, but especially women. The company has offered no credible explanation for its no pro-rata policy for part-time staff.
“Feedback from members has been consistent: employees feel taken for granted, unheard, and exploited. Morale is low. Trust is eroding. This pay award only deepens the divide.”
The letter also alleged that News UK finds money for speculative ventures but not fair pay, and this seemed compounded by the company refusing to disclose remuneration and bonus awards of its executive employees including the CEO.
News UK has recorded losses so far of £138.4m on the failed launch of TalkTV.
Vine said: “This lack of transparency only reinforces the widespread suspicion that those at the top are rewarding themselves handsomely while holding down the pay of those who do the hard graft.”
He said staff are also concerned about the impact the rollout of generative AI tools will have on jobs:
“In the recent Strategic Update, the company’s executives urged staff to embrace generative AI tools and confirmed that external consultants A&M would advise the company on its
strategic future. What the update did not contain was any meaningful acknowledgement of the possible impact on jobs. There was no indication of what the introduction of these
technologies means for people’s roles in the months and years ahead.”
Asked to comment, News UK shared a note from executive vice president Sarah Gallo which was sent to staff.
It said even with the lowest bonus of £600, “the total pay deal is worth between 4.7% and 3.0% for those earning up to £80,000 full-time equivalent”.
Gallo’s note highlighted additional benefits for News UK staff:
“Beyond your salary, you have access to benefits such as our company Pension Scheme, Life Cover and Medical Cover, which can add between 11% and 15% to your total compensation,” she said.
“Through our Benefit Hub, you can also choose from additional benefits such as Travel Insurance and Critical Illness Insurance at reduced rates, as well as our Tusker salary sacrifice car scheme. Perks at Work, also found in the Benefit Hub, provides savings on everyday items, from supermarket visits to cinema tickets.”
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