Pay freezes sought at the Irish Examiner

STAFF at the Irish Examiner and Evening Echo newspapers have been asked to accept a pay freeze for 2009. Redundancies have not been sought.

Workers at the newspapers were briefed yesterday by management about a proposed pay freeze and work restructuring arrangements such as career breaks, job sharing and reduced working week initiatives.

Irish Examiner chief executive Tom Murphy said due to the current difficult domestic and international economic circumstances many Irish companies have been forced to seek redundancies and pay reductions this year. “The Irish Examiner is not contemplating any redundancies. However, it is seeking a pay freeze for all employees for 2009. This comes against a backdrop of a fall in advertising revenues, in line with the Irish market, when 2008 is compared with 2007. This fall in advertising revenue is common to all newspapers both in Ireland and internationally,” he said.

Mr Murphy said that in these circumstances and in the current challenging environment, the company cannot allow increases to its cost base.

“Therefore, to protect our business and the employment it sustains, we are seeking a pay freeze for all employees for 2009. We are also seeking a range of voluntary work restructuring arrangements such as career breaks, job-sharing initiatives and reduced working week initiatives,” he added.

Mr Murphy stressed that the process is being introduced on a voluntary basis and the company willhave to await the level of response before being in a position to progress these initiatives.

“Like most companies, the Irish Examiner engaged in cost reviews throughout last year and we made significant savings which have helped offset some of the revenue decline. However, with advertising revenues remaining challenged, we need to continue to make cost savings wherever possible,” he added.

UNITE regional officer Reg Cody said they would be instructed by their membership on what response they will give to this “new information”.

A spokesperson for the NUJ said: “Our members have yet to vote on the measures put before us which include not only a pay freeze but an effective pay cut for 2008 and 2009, as a direct result of a fall in profit share payments.”

SIPTU branch organiser Marie Kearney said their membership had already been downsized at the company and said that she will be seeking an independent assessor to examine the company’s trading claims.