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Pearson staff are to receive a bonus following the announcement today of a 3% increase in sales and 5% underlying growth in profits across the media group in 2008. All 34,000 employees will receive the same cash sum.
Penguin group chairman and chief executive John Makinson confirmed the bonus today (2nd March), as Penguin itself posted "record profits" for 2008, with operating profit up by 26% to £93m and underlying growth of 4%.
However Makinson said prospects for the industry in 2009 were hard to gauge at present. "We are planning on the basis of a flat market in 2009, particularly in the US and UK," he said. "We have prepared contingency plans and if sales are significantly weaker than we expect, we will take action to cut costs. However we are doing everything we can to keep full employment in 2009."
Last year Pearson froze pay rises for members of staff earning more than £30,000 annually.