Guardian writers are unhappy that their pay is falling in real terms whilst their bosses’ pay tops £2 million.

Following today’s chapel meeting at 2pm, the following motion was passed unanimously:

The chapel believes that GMG’s continued payment of grossly inflated boardroom bonuses and remuneration packages is a violation of the Guardian’s values and represents a failure of corporate governance and accountability by the Trust.

The fact that one package of over £2m has been agreed after five years of large-scale company losses and falling real terms staff pay and numbers demonstrates that City-scale boardroom pay at GMG remains out of control and that genuine independent oversight is not taking place.

The chapel, which represents the overwhelming majority of Guardian and Observer editorial staff, believes the decisions of the board and trust on boardroom pay do not reflect the views of the staff, readership or the ethics of the Guardian that the Trust is obliged to uphold.

The chapel has no confidence in the existing system of executive remuneration, and calls on the company to publish details of all existing long-term incentive and boardroom bonus schemes, as well as the total executive bonus pool paid out annually.

The chapel believes that reform of governance at the Guardian is now essential, and calls on the Trust to respond to chapel representations for reform made over the past five years. The chapel reiterates its opposition to executive performance bonuses and calls on the trust to accept elected staff representation on the remuneration committee and to expand elected staff representation on the Trust itself.

The chapel instructs the officers to prepare a pay claim for this October’s settlement that takes account of GMG boardroom excess, narrows the widening gap between the lowest and highest paid in the company and aims to recoup the real terms cuts in pay and freelance rates sustained by NUJ members over the past five years.

Where was that tribune of the workers and Guardian columnist when the union was meeting?

Owen Jones was having a cappucino breakfast tea in Bar Italia, Soho…

UPDATE:

@OwenJones84 Still, terrible that your bosses pay is going up and co-workers pay is falling in real terms. You should organise a protest!

— Media Guido (@MediaGuido) July 15, 2014