Iconic Media: NUJ calls on Malcolm Denmark to address poverty wages
The NUJ has submitted a pay claim to Malcolm Denmark, Iconic Media chief executive, calling for urgent negotiations over staff’s poor pay.
The letter, sent by union officials across the UK and Ireland, responds to growing concerns among members over low pay, divisive individual salary increases, and the cost-of-living crisis.
Iconic Media has gained cost savings “worth millions of pounds” due to the takeover of National World and its move to a privately-operated business alongside the elimination of expensive senior executive roles.
The UK minimum wage has increased by 4.1% and the Real Living Wage has been set 6.1% higher to an annual salary of £26,227.
New management at Iconic ended its policy of paying the Real Living Wage to its lowest paid staff, such as apprentices, and reverted to the much lower UK statutory minimum wage for new recruits.
This means Iconic editorial salaries are now suffering from pay compression as the wage floor is rising while staff are not adequately compensated for the additional skills and responsibilities they have acquired. This particularly hinders trainees who achieve senior journalist qualifications without any substantial pay reward.
The letter states: “It is also clear that Iconic pay is seriously falling behind competitors. Our members know that colleagues at a close rival will receive a 3.9% uplift in take home pay this year with a minimum salary for a senior journalist set at £34,083.
“At another company that employs journalists in all UK areas that Iconic has its operations, there has been a 4% salary boost on top of an above inflation settlement last year.”
Many staff working across Iconic titles are struggling financially, with some employees earning little more than statutory minimum wage and having to get second jobs to afford to live.
The union is calling for a proportionate and affordable pay package:
- Across the board increase of 6.1% to tackle pay compression
- A one-off employee inflation security payment of £275
- Reconfirming alignment of minimum company salaries with the Real Living Wage of £26,227
- Ensuring that every effort is made to encourage and facilitate completion of NCTJ junior level ‘gold standard’ within 12 months for new trainees and progression to senior journalist status within 24 months (subject to exam schedules)
The company has previously refused to engage in collective negotiations, informing staff that pay awards would be decided on an individual basis, paving the way for exploitative salary gaps.
The NUJ is also urging parliamentarians to call on Malcolm Denmark to recognise the NUJ and urgently enter pay negotiations at Iconic titles in the UK.
Full letter below:
NUJ Pay Claim 2026-7
Dear Malcolm
We write on behalf of NUJ members employed by Iconic Media's UK businesses regarding the pay year 2026-7.
As you know, the Union has many recognition agreements throughout the group that your employees wish to be respected and engaged with by senior management.
While we suggest it would be a pragmatic and sensible step to take discussion of the NUJ pay claim at a collective, national level we will also be submitting the same points of claim in our bargaining units around the UK.
Recent times have been particularly difficult for our members, not only with the uncertainty around ownership of the business, but also for the cost-of-living crisis not to be mitigated in any way for employees.
The Retail Price Index ended at 4.1% in 2025 with no uplift in pay at all within the Iconic editorial structure. The RPI figure is currently running at 3.6% but it is widely accepted that given the situation in the Middle East, this will spiral higher later in the year.
Our members note that the UK minimum wage has increased by 4.1% (to an annual salary of £24,784) from 1st April – making a 109% rise since 2011.
The Real Living Wage has also been set 6.1% higher this year to an annual salary of £26,227.
The NUJ welcomes the lifting of poverty wages, however that might be, but this should not be at the expense of reward for those equipping themselves with new skills or achieving promotion within Iconic.
Iconic editorial salaries are now suffering from pay compression where the wage floor is rising while all other salaries for additional skills and responsibilities have stayed the same.
This is particularly acute for trainees who are seeing their diligence, hard work and success in achieving senior journalist qualifications now disappointingly going unrewarded.
It is also clear that Iconic pay is seriously falling behind competitors. Our members know that colleagues at a close rival will receive a 3.9% uplift in take home pay this year with a minimum salary for a senior journalist set at £34,083.
At another company that employs journalists in all UK areas that Iconic has its operations, there has been a 4% salary boost on top of an above inflation settlement last year.
Meanwhile, Iconic Media’s income from the Local Democracy Reporting Service will top £1m this year with the 2% uplift in BBC funding from this month giving the company £41,604 for each LDR it employs.
The NUJ also believes that our members have provided the company with substantial productivity gains through jobs lost in the recent restructuring without a consequent reduction in editorial output.
As a business, Iconic has gained cost savings worth millions of pounds due to taking the former National World plc operations private with a simplification of the corporate structure and elimination of expensive senior executives.
Individual pay awards are divisive and tend to contribute to pay inequality as well as undermining the collective bargaining arrangements the company has agreed to. We are seeking an across the board increase in salaries; all staff will benefit from the future success of the company and all are affected by the increase in the cost of living.
Therefore, given all the above, the NUJ seeks a proportionate and affordable pay package to be instituted on behalf of members from 1st April 2026 of:
-
Across the board increase of 6.1% to tackle pay compression
-
A one-off employee inflation security payment of £275
-
Reconfirming alignment of minimum company salaries with the Real Living Wage of £26,227
-
Ensuring that every effort is made to encourage and facilitate completion of NCTJ junior level ‘gold standard’ within 12 months for new trainees and progression to senior journalist status within 24 months (subject to exam schedules)
We look forward to discussing this in more detail with you or your deputed representatives at the earliest opportunity.
Yours sincerely
Nick McGowan-Lowe, Iconic Media Group Chapel coordinator
Chris Morley, Senior Organiser, North & Midlands
Andy Smith, National Organiser
Ian McGuinness, Ireland Organiser