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Journalists in Oxford could be the latest Newsquest staff to take industrial action in protest against an ongoing pay freeze at the publisher.

National Union of Journalists (NUJ) members at Newsquest Oxfordshire titles, which include the Oxford Mail, the Oxford Times and the Witney Gazette, today voted to ballot members over strike action, the union has confirmed to Journalism.co.uk.

If the ballot votes in favour, union members would strike for 48 hours between 6 and 7 January 2010.

The Oxfordshire group would be the latest regional division of NUJ members to consider taking industrial action: yesterday Journalism.co.uk reported that Newsquest northeast journalists voted for strike action and members of Newsquest Hampshire announced plans for a ballot for industrial action.

Earlier this week the union's members at the Southern Daily Echo and Brighton Argus both gave notice of a second set of strike dates next week, on 7 and 8 of December.

The wave of strikes is a response to an ongoing pay freeze at Newsquest that has been in place since 2008 and the publisher's recent decision to close its final pension scheme to future accrual. The Argus action is also in response to plans to relocate the title's subbing operations to Southampton.

Newsquest has not yet responded to a request by Journalism.co.uk for comment.

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Written by

Laura Oliver
Laura Oliver
Laura Oliver is a freelance journalist, a contributor to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, co-founder of The Society of Freelance Journalists and the former editor of Journalism.co.uk (prior to it becoming JournalismUK)

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