ABC journalists and staff begin 24-hour strike action after rejecting enterprise agreement offer
The ABC’s chief executive has apologized to viewers after more than 1,000 journalists and staff staged a 24-hour strike over a pay and conditions dispute.
A majority of voting staff rejected the broadcaster’s final pay offer under its three-year enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) earlier this week, paving the way for strike action.
BBC content will replace local programs in many cases; flagship TV and radio programs 7.30am, AM, PM, The World Today and Radio National Breakfast will be off-air between 11am AEDT on Wednesday and 11am AEDT on Thursday.
Emergency broadcast services will continue broadcasting.
The latest salary offer included a wage increase of 3.5 percent for the first year and 3.25 percent for the next two years.
The proposal also included a $1,000 bonus for all ongoing and fixed-term staff under the EBA.
Sixty percent of staff in attendance voted “No.”
Mr Marks apologizes to ABC viewers for the strike action. (ABC News: Jack Ailwood)
In an interview on 702 ABC Sydney on Wednesday morning, chief executive Hugh Marks said it was “very unfortunate” that pay negotiations had come to this point.
“I feel terrible for ABC,” he said.
When asked if he was sorry, Mr Marks said he was.
“That’s right,” he said.
“And I apologize to some of the staff who I know were in a really difficult situation today.
“We will use BBC content where appropriate, so we will maintain the services, but they will not be to the standard I want broadcasting to be.”
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), which represents most of the striking staff, argued that the offer was below inflation and that demands for solutions to short-term, ongoing contracts were being ignored.
MEAA spokesperson Erin Madeley told 702 ABC Sydney its members were also upset they had come to the point of striking.
“We have had restrictions for more than 20 years,” he said.
“We worked for nine months to bring discussions to management about the lived experiences of our members and how difficult it is to cope with cost-of-living pressures.”
Mr Marks said the offer, which included a one-off $1,000 bonus, would mean a wage increase above inflation for some workers.
He said he sympathized with some staff who were on indefinite short-term contracts or whose pay was capped at rates linked to their job descriptions, and felt the issue “needed to be addressed”.
Mr. Marks also said he expected striking staff would agree to be called back into the newsroom if there was a major development in international or local news.
“If we’re truly in the business of serving our audience, I think our employees will say, ‘Yes, this warrants me coming into the office,'” he said.
Strike over salary, progress
ABC correspondent and MEAA ABC National Assembly Committee co-chair Michael Slezak said the strike decision hinged on three “key” issues, including pay, fixed-term contracts and progress.
MEAA initially demanded a 5.5 percent wage increase.
“This is a below-inflation salary offer; this is just a pay cut with better branding,” Mr. Slezak said.
Mr Slezak said another problem ABC said was “endemic” was an over-reliance on fixed-term and temporary workers who “don’t know if they will be able to pay their rent or mortgage when their contracts end”.
“How can you report without fear or flattery when you fear for your own job?”
he said.
The last major issue MEAA focused on was salary progression; It specifically called for automatic progression to a certain level based on satisfactory performance at ABC’s pay points.
“Right now, we have people stuck in our pay systems at the same level for years, even though they have accumulated a tremendous amount of experience and applied that to our business,” Mr. Slezak said.
Asked whether an agreement could be reached with the MEAA and CPSU, Mr Marks said he thought there was still a gap between what management and the unions were looking for.
“I find it very difficult to deal with an organization with which I cannot come to an agreement,” he said.
Ms Madeley said members had recently put forward another offer that reduced their initial wage demands in a bid to avoid a strike.
He said he hoped the industrial action would encourage management to come back with a proposal that addressed the structural issues staff wanted addressed.
“I hope ABC management can take the next 24 hours to really listen to the workforce,” he said.
