ABC staff are on strike for 24 hours, from March 25, in a bid to secure sustainable jobs, fair pay and improved working conditions. They said they also want to protect quality news and programming.
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) said close to 1000 staff participated in the ballot, with more than 90% voting in favour of industrial action, as well as unlimited stoppages of work, with exemptions in place to ensure emergency broadcasting continues.
MEAA chief executive officer Erin Madeley said the decision to strike came after months spent trying to negotiate a new enterprise agreement.
“ABC staff are taking this step because they want fair pay that keeps up with the cost of living, genuine job security, and working conditions that allow them to continue serving the Australian public with integrity.”
The decision to strike came after ABC staff voted no to management’s revised enterprise agreement offer, that included limited improvements to job security but no pay rise or changes to key conditions compared with the previous offer.
ABC management offered a one‑off $1000 payment that would not be added to base salaries, would not attract superannuation and would exclude casual staff.
The MEAA said a below‑inflation pay offer of 3.5% in the first year and 3.25% n the subsequent two years threatened the future of public interest journalism. The union initially asked for pay rise of 5.5%.
Michael Slezak, ABC journalist and co-chair of the MEAA ABC National House Committee, told the ABC on March 25 that its over reliance on fixed-term and casual employees, who "don't know whether they're going to be able to pay their rent or their mortgage when their contract is up", was a problem. “How can you possibly report without fear or favour when you're fearing for your own job?” he asked.
Medley said: “Experienced journalists and media workers are being asked to do more with less — with fewer opportunities for pay progression, less certainty about their future, and growing workloads.
“This isn’t just a workforce issue. When skilled, experienced staff are forced out, communities lose trusted local voices, particularly in regional Australia where the ABC is often the only local newsroom.”
She said union members are also concerned to put “guardrails around the use of technologies like AI to protect editorial integrity and public trust”.