ABC boss’s ‘utterly offensive’ comments condemned as broadcaster comes back online after strike | Australian Broadcasting Corporation
ABC staff and union representatives have called on chief executive Hugh Marks to withdraw his “completely offensive” comments after he said staff considered taking industrial action “a bit of a game”.
Marks made the comments just hours before the end of a 24-hour strike on Wednesday that saw more than 2,000 staff walk off the job.
ABC staff ended their strike at 11am on Thursday, but it took some time for regular programming on the radio and TV broadcast networks to return. News bulletins returned to all ABC radio stations at 11.45am on Thursday. The ABC News Channel continued to broadcast BBC News and pre-recorded programs until the afternoon.
Speaking to breakfast host ABC 702 manager Nick Lowther on Thursday morning, Marks said he was not aware of any strikes planned in the future but was confident staff would continue to take part in smaller forms of protected industrial action.
“There’s little things like email, changes to how Teams is used, and Nick, sometimes it feels a little bit like a game to me. And I don’t think it’s a game. I think it’s really serious,” Marks said. “And I think both sides need to say, you know what, the audience comes first and we need to stop playing games and focus on that and come to a conclusion.
“At the end of the day, the people who are suffering are our viewers. So if they want viewers to suffer more, of course that’s their protected right to industrial action. That’s their right and we have to respect that. I think respect is a really important thing when you get into these discussions.”
The strike action was the first at the broadcaster in 20 years by members of the journalists’ union, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) and the non-journalist Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), which represents technology and control systems workers.
The action forced ABC services on TV, radio and digital platforms to broadcast from the BBC News channel and run repeats and pre-recorded local programmes.
ABC journalist Michael Slezak, co-chairman of the MEAA ABC national committee, said it was “completely offensive” to suggest staff should treat industrial action as a game.
“We have been at the table with management for nine months to reach an agreement that allows us to continue our work and deliver quality news and content to the audiences we love,” Slezak told the Guardian.
“The allegations we have are all about creating a strong ABC with a bright future. The allegation that ABC staff wanted to hurt viewers is beyond offensive. It is outrageous and he should retract these comments immediately.”
ABC staff are protesting low pay offers that put them behind inflation, unfair working conditions including the use of temporary and short-term contracts, and the broadcaster’s refusal to replace journalists with artificial intelligence.
Unions argued that the offer of a total pay increase of 10 per cent over three years (3.5 per cent in the first year and 3.25 per cent in the second and third years) was too low and failed to address concerns about the staff evaluation process, career progression, night shift penalty rates and reproductive health leave. Australia’s annual inflation rate in January was 3.8%.
Marks said staff costs were 60% of the ABC budget and any increase would mean redundancies. He denied the offer was below inflation because he said the last-minute offer of a $1,000 sweetener put staff ahead of 4.4% inflation.
Marks strongly denied claims that jobs at ABC were insecure, claiming more than 90% were permanent and the average tenure of an employee was more than 10 years. Marks claimed on Thursday that demands for a pay rise from staff were “unmanageable” and that “over-indexation” of pay to staff would put the ABC in “jeopardy”.
Slezak, who is also head of MEAA’s media division, said Marks’ claims about job security at the ABC showed he “did not listen to staff”.
“What we are saying is that you cannot do fearless journalism if you are afraid for your own job,” Slezak said. “This doesn’t help provide quality coverage. He needs to come to the table and address these important issues.”
The ABC appealed to the Fair Work Commission for help resolving the dispute. The first hearing in the commission is planned to be held on Monday, March 30.
