CORK-BASED MEDIA group Thomas Crosbie Holdings is seeking a 10 per cent pay cut from staff at the Irish Examiner newspaper.

The pay-cut proposal was set out for staff at its offices in Cork and Dublin yesterday afternoon.

The company has also put forward proposals for changes to pension arrangements. Staff have been asked to attend a meeting with management on September 18th. If the proposals are implemented, the newspapers will be the latest media outlets to introduce cuts in pay for staff.

There is currently a pay freeze in place for staff while the company has been on “a pension holiday” since earlier this year. Expenses have also been cut back.

Last month, Thomas Crosbie Holdings announced it was seeking a second pay cut from staff at the Sunday Business Post which it also owns.

Staff at the title agreed to pay cuts of between 5 and 8 per cent a number of months ago in the expectation that management would not ask them for further concessions for another year.

However, in mid-August, executives told staff the company was seeking further pay cuts, this time around half the earlier reductions.

The company is also seeking a cut in the number of days worked by some production staff at the paper.

Staff at other national media groups such as The Irish Times, Independent News and Media and RTÉ have also had pay cuts over the last year or so.

The Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists Seamus Dooley said last night he would anticipate resistance to the cuts.

He said that staff at the Thomas Crosby Holding titles had already made sacrifices.

Mr Dooley said that the union would be awaiting details of the company’s proposals.