The NUJ chapel representing journalists across Reach has “reluctantly” accepted the company’s offer of a 4% pay rise for those earning £60,000 a year and below.
The acceptance prevents a repeat of last year’s pay strikes at the company, and matches a deal accepted in June by the smaller British Association of Journalists union at Reach.
But Press Gazette understands news of the acceptance has not gone over well with all members, and the chapel itself said the deal “exacerbates” the “devaluation” of Reach journalists.
What are the details of the pay deal?
The Reach NUJ Group Chapel wrote to members on Wednesday 26 July informing them that it “feels it has little option in all circumstances but to accept most reluctantly, collectively, the 4% on the table” for those on £60,000 and below.
Staff making above £60,000 a year have instead been given a £1,000 pay increase, meaning a maximum proportional increase of 1.66%.
The BAJ, which is the recognised union for journalists at the Daily Mirror, voted 55% in favour of the same deal at the end of June.
BAJ chapel leadership had unsuccessfully attempted to improve the terms to a £1,500 pay rise for those earning more than £70,000, but did succeed in raising the original offer, which would have seen staff earning more than £60,000 receive no pay rise at all.
[Read more: Mirror journalists narrowly vote to accept 4% pay rise offer for 2023]
In March, NUJ chapel representatives at Reach unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in senior management after the 4% pay rise was proposed. NUJ members were asked in May to take part in a non-binding ballot over whether to take industrial action on the offer.
The result of that ballot was not disclosed to members, who were told in June: “Given the circumstances that members and the company are in, reps felt it was appropriate to seek a short window of time to allow final talks with the company – if senior management were willing – before a formal and binding postal ballot for industrial action is undertaken if required.”
Those talks did occur at the end of June, but the company did not increase its pay offer. No formal ballot on industrial action was ultimately conducted.
Chapel leadership told members the decision to accept the company’s terms was made “after more than two hours of debate” among representatives and that it was based “on extensive and intensive consultation and feedback of and from members”, both via the consultative ballot and chapel meetings.
“This showed that members are angry about the stewardship of the company and its poor performance with mass redundancies and serious staffing and workload issues ensuing.”
[Read more: No-confidence vote passed as Reach offers lower paid staff 4% pay rise]
New commitments (or re-commitments) made by Reach
Although the June talks did not produce an increased pay rise for Reach’s NUJ members, the union said it did get four “additional commitments” from the company:
- “An undertaking that future pay awards covering NUJ bargaining units will have an even distribution, regardless of salary”
- “Acknowledgment that work on the new career progression structure (agreed in 2022) had stalled and needed to be kickstarted”
- “Allocation of £25,000 for initial increases effective from 1st October, 2023, for the last quarter of the year but with the effect of about £100,000 cost in a full year. This money would be separate from the budget for pay increases arising from normal promotions within the business”
- And “backdating payment arising out of acceptance of the offer to 1st April”.
Nonetheless, Press Gazette understands some members, particularly those based in London, have voiced dismay at the union’s acceptance of the offer.
The union itself, in a statement following the acceptance, expressed displeasure with the offer: “This Group Chapel believes Reach journalists have been devalued – with their pay having been badly eroded over more than a decade. The current offer, in a period of damaging inflation, only exacerbates that trend…
“Our members view Reach’s failure so far to deliver on its 2022 promise to introduce a transparent career progression framework, as a serious undermining of morale that must be rectified at the earliest opportunity.”
The chapel said it reserves the possibility of a future strike should the career progression issue go unresolved.
In a comment sent after publication, Reach told Press Gazette: “We are pleased to have come to an agreement with the NUJ on this year’s pay review and would like to reiterate our thanks to our valued employees for their hard work and commitment.”
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