ARCHIVES: HR Issues
The Wage Boards for working journalists and non-journalists and other newspaper employees in India have recommended 2.5 to 3 times hike in basic pay and fixing the retirement age at 65. To be implemented retrospectively from January 8, 2008, the revised basic pay has been computed after merging the existing basic pay, the dearness allowance and the 30 per cent interim relief that had been already granted, an official statement issued by the government said. The panels have also suggested... MORE
Freelance business journalists in North America make an average of $25,000 to $30,000 a year, and two out of every five were laid off, according to an informal survey conducted by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW). More than two-thirds of those who responded said they would not go back to a full-time business news job if they could find one. The freelancers noted their flexible work schedule and ability to work for multiple media organizations and at home as the... MORE
More than 2,000 journalists working for the BBC at centres across the UK have voted in favour of strike action in protest at planned reforms to their pension scheme. Figures released Wednesday night by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) reveal the extent to which its members are angered by management proposals to cap their pension contributions. Of around 3,500 NUJ members at the BBC, 2,251 voted in the ballot with 2,107 (94 per cent) voting for strike action and 2,175 (97 per cent) voting... MORE
Since the start of the economic crisis, up to 6000 journalists and media workers in Romania have lost their jobs, journalists are being forced to renounce their contracts in favour of royalty payments, and the main journalists union in the country is fighting over 50 cases against illegal and indiscriminate dismissals. "Romanian journalism is under siege from the country's economic woes and employers' greed," said European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) General Secretary Aidan White. "The... MORE
Thirty jobs have been cut at the Press Association as part of cost-reduction measures by the UK news agency, according to journalism.co.uk. Twenty of those jobs are reported to have already been cut in what a company spokesperson called a combination of "natural wastage and voluntary redundancy". A further nine posts are under consultation for "possible" compulsory redundancy. The company says content will not suffer. Some details: [ Link ] "In common with most media companies we have been... MORE
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) Thursday launched Women in News (WIN), an initiative to help women in middle management in southern African news media to advance their careers. Eighteen media professionals from Botswana, Namibia and Zambia were meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa Thursday and Friday for the start of a six-month programme of events that include panel discussions, one-on-one coaching, training sessions and personal mentoring. The goal of the... MORE
The New York Times Company still intends to sell the Boston Globe , but the newspaper's finances have improved enough that the company does not need to sell it, the New York Times daily reported after top executives met Globe employees first time Wednesday since the company threatened to close the paper. Arthur Sulzberger Jr, the company chairman, and Janet L Robinson, the president and chief executive, said that if they selected a buyer, it would be based not only on price, but also on how the... MORE
The publisher of La Presse , Canada's second largest French-language newspaper, threatened on Thursday to permanently stop the presses unless its 700 employees agree to deep salary cuts before December, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). "We have three months ahead of us, enough time to discuss and sign a negotiated agreement allowing us to cut labor costs," Guy Creview, publisher of the Montreal daily, said in an email to staff obtained by AFP. "As of December 1, La Presse will simply no... MORE
The Boston Globe’s largest union overwhelmingly approved a package of $10 million in wage and benefit cuts Monday night, ending more than three months of tense bargaining and brinksmanship, the newspaper reported The Boston Newspaper Guild, which represents nearly 700 editorial, advertising and business office workers, became the last of the Globe's major unions to ratify sizeable financial and other concessions that the paper’s owner, the New York Times Company, said it needs to keep operating... MORE
Gannett Co, the largest US newspaper owner, will slash about 1,400 publishing jobs by July 9 as it copes with declining advertising and circulation, Bloomberg News has reported. Some details: [ Link ] “We must take these steps because the advertising environment remains challenged,” Bob Dickey, president of Gannett’s US Community Publishing unit, said today in a memo to employees. The division has more than 80 dailies and doesn’t include USA Today , the largest US newspaper by circulation. The... MORE
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