ABC journalists back major strike over pay, AI concerns
Journalists at Australia’s national broadcaster will strike for the first time in years after withdrawing a pay deal.
Sixty per cent of ABC staff who took part in the vote rejected the offer, paving the way for a series of industrial action, including a 24-hour strike.
The strike is scheduled for 11am on Wednesday and is expected to affect live broadcasts on both television and radio.
While non-media personnel left their jobs in 2023, journalists did not take part.
This time the strike had the support of 90 percent of voting media union members.
The union said below-inflation pay results and continued precarious work threatened the future of public interest journalism.
It was confirmed that ABC management’s latest offer had been rejected on Monday.
The media union said the plan included limited job security, did not address concerns about staff being tied to short-term contracts and did not guarantee jobs would not be cut and replaced by artificial intelligence.
“Experienced journalists and media professionals are being asked to do more with less, with fewer opportunities for salary advancement, less uncertainty about their future and increased workloads,” said Erin Madeley, CEO of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.
“This isn’t just a workforce issue. When talented, experienced staff are laid off, communities lose their trusted local voice, particularly in regional Australia where the ABC is often the only local newsroom.”
Strike action was also supported by a vote of non-media ABC employees represented by the Community and Public Sector Union.
The union said staff rejected the deal because it included a below-inflation pay rise as well as concerns about career progression, night shift penalty rates and reproductive health leave.
“The last thing union members want to do is offend loyal ABC viewers by disrupting programming and services, but important bargaining demands remain unresolved,” said Jocelyn Gammie, secretary of the union’s ABC division.
“Unless the ABC puts a fair offer on the table, disruptions are inevitable.”
More than 4,400 people work at ABC; 2000 of them are in the largest section, news.
ABC 11th most used website in the country It’s ahead of Netflix, according to ZirveWeb.
ABC’s chief people officer, Deena Amorelli, emailed staff on Monday to tell them the deal had been rejected.
“The ABC will now appeal to the Fair Work Commission to assist in resolving the bargain,” he said.
“Further information on next steps, including proposed strike action by the MEAA and CPSU, will be communicated over the next few days.”
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