STV News programmes have been completely wiped off the telly schedule tomorrow as staff walk out in a bitter dispute over pay.
Industrial action means the popular STV News at Six – fronted by telly favourite John MacKay – will be pulled off screen with workers set to be on the picket line instead.
The teatime bulletin will be replaced by an episode of outdoors show Sean’s Scotland starring weatherman Sean Batty.
Also being canned is late night current affairs show Scotland Tonight with viewers instead being offered ITV’s UK-wide edition, Tonight.
And we can reveal there will also be no news bulletins throughout the day – including after the lunchtime news – but there will be weather updates.
It comes after we told how newsrooms are set ‘to empty’ tomorrow as staff walk out over a pay dispute, claim the NUJ.
Members of the National Union of Journalists voted overwhelmingly to strike as talks over pay at the broadcaster broke down.
And the NUJ said the strike will “empty newsrooms” at sites in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.
A second strike day has been set for April 16 with more days expected if the situation is not resolved.
Members at the NUJ are seeking a six per cent pay rise to keep in line with inflation due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Bosses at STV have offered the increase for the bottom three per cent of earners but they have said they can’t afford to pay more to the remaining staff members.
The NUJ claims salaries for journalists at STV have fallen behind those in similar jobs at the BBC or ITV.
And the union also alleges about a third of the newsroom, including experienced reporters, earn less than a teacher’s starting salary.
Staff are expected to be at picket lines throughout the day.
There will be picket lines at STV’s base at Pacific Quay in Glasgow from 8am and Edinburgh members will be at the Scottish Parliament from 8.30am.
In Aberdeen, the picket line will be from 8.30am until 10am at STV North at Craigshaw Business Park.
And in Dundee from 8am until 10.30am at Greenmarket.
The NUJ pointed to the broadcaster recording an operating profit of £20.1million last year, despite falling by 22% due, in part, to a downturn in advertising revenues.
It comes just days after we revealed claims that news bulletins could be slashed to just five minutes amid the walkouts.
And coverage would solely come from the Glasgow office with no broadcasts from the rest of the country.
A source told the Scottish Sun on Sunday the 24-hour walkouts “will seriously impact outputs.”
But STV has claimed industrial action will not affect the vast majority of programming.
The broadcaster also stressed the strikes will not impact any Euro 2024 games.
An STV spokesperson said: “We’ve continued to engage with the NUJ with the aim of finding resolution and we remain open to further dialogue, but their claim for an above inflation pay increase of 6% is unrealistic and unaffordable.
“In this current economic climate, the offer made is both fair and financially responsible and is already being paid to over 85% of our colleagues across the rest of the business, including news colleagues in the BECTU union who voted to accept the award.
“Our enhanced offer of this week, which included confirmation of a bonus for all STV employees – as we won’t agree a separate deal for NUJ members – was rejected by the NUJ.
“Contingency plans are in place.”