Members of the National Union of Journalists at Newquest papers in York struck on Friday 5 October in protest at an ongoing pay freeze.
Newsquest’s figures for Yorkshire and the North East show a pre-tax profit of £1.87m in the 2011 financial year, after total staff costs fell 8.5 per cent to £8.02m. Workers have also suffered through the closure of their final salary pension scheme, which represented a £600,000 saving for management.
In a statement, Mark Stead and Tony Kelly, joint Fathers of Chapel at Newsquest York, said: “Our members have seen their pay stand still amid soaring inflation and living costs while they take on extra duties and strive to maintain and enhance The Press’s award-winning reputation, and we believe the lack of a pay offer for 2012 is utterly unacceptable.”