NUJ labels Malcolm Denmark a ‘Scrooge’ over pay award refusal

The NUJ has branded Iconic Media CEO Malcolm Denmark a “Scrooge” over his broken promises to National World staff to make a pay award for 2025, and has accused him of ripping up recognition agreements with the NUJ across the business.

Denmark's company Media Concierge purchased National World in May for £65.1m having previously been a minority shareholder. The group owned over 100 titles across the UK, including The Scotsman, Yorkshire Post, Portsmouth News and The News Letter. Multi-millionaire Malcolm Denmark is the largest regional newspaper publisher in Ireland, as well as a prominent owner of racehorses in the UK and Ireland. 

Despite promising staff that he would address the pay award, which was expected in April but had been put on hold because of the change in ownership, journalists at the publisher have not received any pay increase, and no indication has been made of when any pay increase might happen. 

In an open letter to National World in April 2025, during the transition to the new owners, the NUJ’s National World Group Chapel wrote, “we seek an urgent rethink on the current National World stance not to enter into pay talks with the NUJ. Any takeover discussions in the coming weeks and months between National World and prospective buyers must include provision for a pay rise for staff this year.” 

NUJ members have told the union that the company’s broken promises and already low wages have led to stress, hardship and uncertainty in the run up to Christmas. 

The company told staff in June that pay awards would be done on an individual basis, not collectively, breaching union agreements. However the NUJ is not aware of any pay awards being made among its members.  

Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said:   

“It is appalling that one of the richest media owners in the UK is withholding a fair wage from already poorly paid journalists whose pay has been eroded because of inflation. The business can afford to pay a decent increase to the journalists who work hard to make the company’s profits, and Malcolm Denmark should keep his promise to do so. It is time for him to stop ignoring the NUJ and his staff, and we urge him to meet with us at the earliest opportunity.” 

Malcolm Denmark has also refused to respond to correspondence from the NUJ on the matter.  

In a letter to Denmark sent on 18 July, Davison wrote, “We were surprised to learn that in an e-mail to staff you said that there would be no overall pay award agreed this year, with pay decided on an individual basis. This is contrary to the existing agreements between National World and the NUJ, and we request that there is a return the negotiations as set out in our agreements and a substantive response to the pay claims that have been submitted by our Chapels as soon as possible.” 

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