FT reporters vote to walk out again next week

Marietta Cauchi of Dow Jones Newswires writes that business journalists at the Financial Times have voted to stage another walkout next week in their pay dispute with management.

Cauchi writes, “At Tuesday’s meeting, the 250 FT journalists who are NUJ members voted to walk out again Thursday, March 22, for a three-hour mandatory meeting unless management would submit to binding arbitration by Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, or ACAS, a government body that aims to settle employment disputes.

“The NUJ said that it was particularly unfair when the FT’s figures were the best they had ever been.

“‘With FT’s latest figures showing a 27% profit increase at the group and the highest circulation in the paper’s history, there is no justification for this unfair pay award,’ said Barry Fitzpatrick, NUJ deputy general secretary.

The FT said the action was ‘unwarranted and unreasonable.’

“‘The proposed salary increase of 3.5% — with 2%-2.5% for all editorial staff and 1% for merit, plus a bonus, is a good offer that compares favorably with the rest of the industry,’ it said in an emailed statement.”

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