STV Journalists to Strike on Scottish Election Count Day Over Pay Dispute
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has announced that STV journalists and technical staff will stage a one-day strike on Friday, May 8, which will significantly impact coverage of the Scottish Parliament election results. This industrial action comes amid an ongoing pay dispute with STV management.
Pay Freeze Sparks Industrial Action
The strike involves members of the NUJ and Bectu, the union representing technical staff, who are walking out over management's refusal to propose any pay award for 2026 or agree on principles for compensatory pay in 2027. This 0% pay offer follows STV's launch of a new radio station in 2025, which cost £500,000.
In a letter to the unions, STV stated: "A temporary salary freeze for this year is our only option at this stage as we prioritise returning business to profitability." This stance has been met with frustration from union representatives.
Financial Struggles and Programming Changes
STV's annual report, published recently, revealed a decline in revenue from £188 million in 2024 to £176.9 million in 2025, with profits dropping by £16.3 million to a loss of £5.9 million last year. Despite this, Rufus Radcliffe, STV's chief executive, highlighted in the report that "STV News At Six remains the most-watched news programme in Scotland," with growth in digital news platform views.
The strike follows STV's announcement last year to axe its dedicated north programme and cut 60 jobs across the company, including approximately 30 in news. The company plans to replace the north programme with a single programme from Glasgow, incorporating regional news sections. STV has applied to regulator Ofcom to reduce its public service broadcasting obligations and drop regionalised versions of News At 6 across its channel three licence areas. Ofcom has indicated it will not decide on these proposals until after the Scottish election.
Union Criticism and Management Response
Nick McGowan-Lowe, NUJ Scotland organiser, expressed disappointment, saying: "It's regrettable and frustrating that after extensive talks, management are refusing to put forward any kind of fair compensation offer to the overworked and underpaid staff in the newsroom. It is one thing to write warm words in the annual report recognising that the success of the newsroom is built on the backs of its staff, but CEO Rufus Radcliffe needs to back that up with real actions."
STV has been approached for comment regarding the strike and its potential impact on election coverage. The industrial action underscores broader tensions within the media industry over pay and working conditions, particularly during critical events like election counts.
