STV News staff in Glasgow are set to go on strike again over a pay dispute.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has announced journalists at STV will walk out across Scotland for the second time on Tuesday, April 16.
The union says it comes in the latest round of industrial action over pay - which is expected to cause cancellation and 'severe disruption' to the channel's news bulletins.
According to the NUJ, journalists say they have had to use food banks, take on secondary jobs, or move in with parents in order to try and cover their bills.
The NUJ chapel voted for a third day of action on Wednesday, May 1, to coincide with STV’s annual general meeting.
However, on Tuesday next week, staff will walk out of newsrooms for 24 hours in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Inverness, as well as Westminster.
The union is seeking a six per cent rise for its members to keep pace with inflation.
It comes after we reported STV News previously went on strike on Thursday, March 26.
Nick McGowan-Lowe, NUJ national organiser Scotland said: “The STV board claim that stringy below-inflation pay rises for journalists are all they can afford, but when it comes to executive pay, there’s no such scrimping and saving.
"STV’s bulletins have been the most watched in Scotland for the past five years, outperforming the BBC, even though STV journalists are paid far less than their counterparts at the BBC or ITV.
"But at the top of the organisation, Simon Pitts expects his six-figure salary to be rubber-stamped by shareholders, even while earning far more than the director general of the BBC, who runs an organisation 40 times bigger.
"Our members’ pay claim is reasonable and fair and STV needs to settle with us soon.”
A spokesperson for STV said: "With further talks scheduled to take place on Monday, it's disappointing that the NUJ's focus is on confirming further action rather than achieving a resolution.
"STV remains open to further dialogue but the NUJ's claim for an above-inflation pay increase of 6% - nearly twice the current level of inflation - is unrealistic and unaffordable.
"In this economic climate, the offer made is both fair and financially responsible and is already being paid to over 85% of our colleagues across the rest of the business, including news colleagues in the BECTU union who voted to accept the award.
"Our enhanced offer, which included confirmation of a bonus for all STV employees – as we won’t agree a separate deal for NUJ members - was rejected by the NUJ.”
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