Belfast Telegraph journalists strike over pay dispute

STAFF at the Independent News & Media-owned Belfast Telegraph have begun industrial action in pursuit of a pay claim.

Journalists at the paper started a 48-hour stoppage yesterday morning aimed at hitting production of yesterday's Belfast Telegraph, today's edition and tomorrow's Sunday Life.

Yesterday's walk-out was the first strike by journalists at the paper in 20 years, although production was unaffected by the action.

It is understood that not all of the paper's 100 journalist took part in the action. Editor Ed Curran claimed that around a third of staff produced the paper.

The NUJ have rejected a 3% pay offer by management and are seeking parity with other journalists in the Independent group, particularly those on the Irish and Sunday Independent, who are among the highest paid in the business.

The company said that the vast majority of Telegraph employees have already accepted the offer.

Independent, which bought the paper four years ago for around €400 million, said the pay hike was the largest being proposed in any national newspaper in Britain this year. It added that under a re-grading of employment terms, some staff would get a 16% rise.

The company added that its workers benefit from large contributions to their pension scheme.

While the action will continue today, the company said that the paper will be produced as normal and the planned launch of a colour magazine for the Sunday Life will go ahead.

The strike could not come at worse time for Independent, which is seeking job cuts among its non-editorial staff in Dublin.

The company is looking for 175 voluntary redundancies before May 21 or else it will begin compulsory lay-offs. Independent has set aside a €23 million for the scheme, which could see some employees leave with a €260,000 payout. So far, around 100 employees have applied for voluntary redundancy.

Independent are axing many in-house functions, including administration work, payroll, copy-taking and invoicing and outsourcing the jobs to firms in Armagh, Cork and London.

While trading and advertising conditions have improved, the media group is still suffering the hangover from a spending spree in the mid to late 1990s which left it saddled with over €1.2 billion in debt.

This has since come down through disposals and a rights issues, but net debt stood at €978 million at the end of 2003. In March, Independent News & Media reported a 20% rise in pre-tax profits to €154.6 million for the year.