Journalists and production staff at STV are being forced to subsidise management through a punitive pay freeze – and it's time this injustice ended.
Paul McManus, BECTU negotiations officer for Scotland, has laid bare the deep frustration and anger sweeping through newsrooms. And who can blame workers for feeling betrayed? While STV somehow locates funds to invest elsewhere in the business, the very people who produce the content that keeps the broadcaster alive are expected to accept a real-terms pay cut.
The message from workers is crystal clear: it is unacceptable for management to expect hard-working journalists to subsidise their pay through below-inflation wage offers. If money can be found for other areas of the business, it can be found for fair pay. It's time for management to sit down with the unions and deliver a proper offer.
Workloads Spiralling as Colleagues Shown the Door
The pay freeze isn't happening in isolation – it's landing on the desks of staff already buckling under increased pressure. STV's decision to stop producing news programmes in Aberdeen has triggered a wave of departures across various roles. For those remaining, the message is brutal: do more with less, and do it for less money.
Unions rightly argue that these cuts have dramatically increased workloads. Newsroom staff report their responsibilities have ballooned as a direct result of recent redundancies. The situation is so concerning that some workers who took redundancy are reportedly being offered opportunities to return – as freelance workers, presumably on worse terms than they enjoyed as permanent staff.
This is no way to treat the professionals who deliver Scottish news to Scottish viewers.
Profits Before People
STV's spin doctors would have us believe this pay freeze is an unfortunate necessity driven by market conditions. Yet workers have watched the company find money for other investments while telling them there's nothing left for wages.
The broadcaster defends its position with talk of falling advertising revenue and declining viewership – challenges facing the entire sector. But here's what they're not telling you: on the very same day they announced this punishing pay freeze, STV revealed it would not be paying a dividend to shareholders. If shareholders can accept less, why can't management dig into their own pockets rather than balancing the books on workers' backs?
Strike Action Looms
Workers have already demonstrated their willingness to fight. Previous NUJ strikes pulled Scottish news programmes off air and left STV's website starved of fresh content. If management thinks staff will simply absorb this injustice quietly, they're badly mistaken.
BECTU and the NUJ are now likely to coordinate action. The message to STV couldn't be clearer: meet with unions, resolve this dispute, or face sustained industrial action that will hit the broadcaster where it hurts.
The Wider Picture
This dispute isn't just about pay – it's about respect, sustainability, and the future of Scottish journalism. With STV embroiled in controversy over plans to slash local news provision and end separate services for Grampian region viewers, the timing of this pay freeze feels particularly cynical.
Staff are deeply frustrated and angry – and they have every right to be. When money is found for investment elsewhere while workers are expected to tighten their belts, it exposes management's true priorities.
STV claims to remain committed to "open and transparent communication" with colleagues and union partners. It's time to prove it. No more excuses. No more expecting workers to carry the can for management's failures.
Sit down with the unions. Make a fair pay offer. Address the excessive workloads. And remember who actually produces the programmes that keep STV on air.
The workers are watching – and they're ready to act.
Source: BBC