A PAY review originally planned for this month at newspapers published by The Scotsman owners, Johnston Press, has been deferred.
Instead, the review is to take place in January, with staff being offered an additional day’s leave by way of compensation and a recognition of their ‘commitment and hard work’.
Says a memo issued by Andrew Richardson, managing director of the Scottish division of Johnston Press, which also operates several local newspaper titles in Scotland: “A decision has been taken to defer 2012 salary reviews by six months across all of Johnston Press. This means that July reviews will be deferred to January and so on through the next 12 months which will effectively return review dates to their original position before the change in 2009.
“In recognition of the commitment and hard work which has gone, and will go, into the re-launch [of all but a handful of titles] and other initiatives, an additional day’s annual leave will be added to the 2012 entitlement and subsequent years for all Johnston Press employees in the UK, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland. This will be applied on a pro-rata basis for part-time staff.
“In 2013, provided we achieve our profit forecast for 2012, there will be a pay review of two per cent on the appropriate review date. Where staff are covered by collective bargaining arrangements, pay will be negotiated locally in the normal manner.”
