Granada pay offers due this month

Negotiators hope to put revised pay offers to members in three Granada companies by mid-May.

Pay talks with the four TV companies belonging to Granada Media Group have continued over the last month, and the unions hope to put final proposals to members in at least three of them by mid-May.

Negotiations kicked off after an industrial stoppage across GMG on February 26, since when members of BECTU, NUJ, and AEEU employed in the group have refused to work more than 12 hours a day. The dispute followed an attempt by all four companies to impose a two year pay and conditions offer including a 3.6% increase in 1999, and a further rise in January 2000 equal to the inflation rate plus 0.5%.

Discussions with Tyne Tees and Yorkshire TV are expected to conclude on May 11, and a meeting with Granada (Manchester) is due at ACAS on May 12. Any offers which emerge from these two companies will be presented to members at site meetings from May 18 onwards.

The fourth company in the Granada Group, London Weekend Television, has been told by unions that an improved pay offer, which would add £144 a year to the January 2000 increase, is unacceptable to members working at the company.