STV News bulletins axed from screens as staff walk out in pay row

dailyrecord.co.uk:

STV News will be pulled from the screens tomorrow as staff take to the picket line in a row over pay. Journalists across the country are to strike while they and their union are at loggerheads with their employer over their salaries.The flagship STV News at Six show, presented by John MacKay and Kelly-Ann Woodland, will not air, with viewers treated to a programme hosted by weather presenter Sean Batty.As well as the episode of outdoor show Sean's Scotland being shown instead of the usual broadcast, Scotland Tonight, STV's late night current affairs show, is also off the schedule amid the battle with members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).Instead, viewers will be able to tune into Tonight, the UK edition of the show, normally broadcast on ITV.

And the bulletins which normally run throughout the day are also being scrapped, but weather updates will be given as normal.The NUJ said the strike comes after a ballot "showed overwhelming support in favour of industrial action following the break down in pay talks at the Scottish broadcaster".The Union added: "Tomorrow's strike will empty newsrooms across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.

The NUJ is seeking a 6 per cent rise for members to keep pace with inflation after a record cost-of-living crisis last year. "The company has offered this increase for the bottom 3 per cent of earners, saying it cannot afford to pay more for the remaining staff despite making over £20m in profit on record revenues last year."Nick McGowan-Lowe, national organiser, said: "Journalists at STV have not just been reporting on the cost-of-living crisis – they've been experiencing it too."Our members across Scotland produce the award-winning journalism that is the flagship