ABC staff move to strike after pay deal talks stall
Hundreds of unionized ABC staff voted unanimously in favor of a protected action vote on Friday, taking the first step towards a strike after pay talks stalled once again.
About 450 ABC employees from the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance voted in favor of the vote, signaling a possible strike next month.
The vote, which included ABC staff across national newsrooms, follows bargaining talks between ABC management and union representatives that failed to yield any progress on Thursday.
The union told staff that after the summer break, management returned to the table without any improvements to the pay offer, band advances or proposed job security conditions.
“It’s time for GREME,” the Thursday email said. “Enough is enough. Join us tomorrow for a meeting where we will update you on bargaining, the strike action plan and ask members to approve the MEAA application to the Fair Work Commission for a safeguard action vote next week.
The ABC’s last offer, approved by chief executive Hugh Marks 12 weeks ago, included a 10 per cent pay rise over three years.
The Community and Public Sector Union, the other union representing non-journalist ABC staff, is expected to hold a similar vote next week.
The vote is the first steps allowing the union to apply for industrial action to the Fair Work Commission next week. Following this application, unionized staff will be given a period of two weeks to vote for or against strike action. Strikes are expected to continue in March.
It is common for unions to vote to strike as a negotiation tactic. Ballots often give union members the power to take industrial action that stops short of striking, such as refusing to work overtime, not using workplace communications, and plastering offices with union paraphernalia.
ABC has been contacted for comment.
Contract positions, as opposed to ongoing work, have become a defining feature of negotiations.
The ABC was taken to the Federal Court by its media union over its use of such unsafe contracts.
Around 10 per cent of all ABC staff are on precarious contracts, which the ABC says provides the “right level of flexibility” to its budgets.
Calum Jaspan is a media writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Melbourne. Reach him securely on Signal @calumjaspan.10Connect with: X or email.
