New row at Ulster TV

A new row at Ulster TV, about plans to withdraw the company's profit related pay scheme, follows recent redundancy proposals.

UTV have followed last month's announcement of 35 redundancies with plans to scrap the company's profit related pay scheme, and are refusing to open negotiations with union officials on the proposal.

Talks on the issue have reached stalemate after local union stewards and staff representatives walked out of a meeting on 4 June when management said that they would not allow national officials of BECTU and the NUJ to participate in the discussions.

Staff are refusing to sign new contracts which management issued in an bid to end the profit bonuses, which this year have boosted basic pay by more than 50%.

The company is hoping to buy out the profit pay scheme by offering staff a one-off payment equal to two years' bonuses, and asked all staff to accept this offer in writing by 1 August.

However, BECTU and the NUJ advised members to stick with their current contracts, including the bonus scheme, and criticised the Northern Ireland Labour Relations Board (LRB) for helping UTV to secure "compromise agreements" from its staff. These legally-binding agreements would have prevented any UTV employee from complaining to an Industrial tribunal about loss of benefits, and the LRB eventually withdrew its assistance.

In the absence of any formal negotiations on the profit scheme, the unions are taking their campaign to the Northern Ireland Assembly, and are planning to meet representatives of the Alliance Party, DUP, and Sinn Fein in the next few weeks.

Union members at UTV could be balloted on industrial action if the company refuses to return to the bargaining table.