Independent Newspapers has sought an urgent hearing with the Labour Relations Commission over an alleged breach of a joint house agreement by the National Union of Journalists.
On Tuesday the NUJ chapel (section) decided to withdraw co-operation with management over the redesign of the Sunday Independent and the Irish In- dependent. It took the action as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and pensions.
The chapel passed the motion because of frustration at delays in concluding a new house agreement. In its resolution it accused the company of abusing the goodwill of staff, who had co-operated fully with the recent redesign of the Evening Herald.
However the company's human resources director, Mr Declan Carlisle, said yesterday that co-operation with the redesign of titles was a routine activity. The company had made major concessions on pensions and pay but would not respond to pressure.
The NUJ is seeking a significant pay increase on top of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, in return for productivity since the last major agreement in 1991. It also wants indexation of pensions.
The company has offered to phase out anomalies in existing pay scales, worth up to 11 per cent to people recruited since the last agreement, but nothing to staff with longer service.
It has also offered to indexlink pensions, with a cap of 2 per cent.