Australian journalists strike for better pay and working conditions
Nine Publishing journalists ended their strike on July 31 after successfully asserting their demands for better pay, secure jobs, and newsroom diversity. Screenshot from YouTube video of withMEAA. Fair use.
Hundreds of journalists belonging to Nine Publishing in Australia ended their five-day strike and returned to work on July 31 after management agreed to offer a better deal to its employees.
The strike started on July 26 with staff members from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, Brisbane Times, and WAtoday holding rallies outside their offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. These newspapers are part of the Nine company.
Union representatives and Nine Entertainment management have been in negotiation for months to reach a day deal. One of the main asking points was raises that were “slightly higher than inflation” — especially as staffers agreed to a wage freeze during the pandemic — as well as transparent pay rates for freelancers.
The employees decided to take industrial action through their union in response to the “inadequate offer” from management. During the negotiations, management also announced that around 90 jobs would be reduced due to financial constraints. The union reminded the company that “there is no financial bottom line without a strong journalistic frontline.”
The strikers called for “fairer pay, secure jobs, newsroom diversity, protections around Artificial Intelligence (AI), better rights for freelancers, and to protect journalism.” The management expressed “profound disappointment” since the strike coincided with the Paris 2024 Olympics coverage, and it urged the union to continue with the renegotiation.
After five days of protesting and clinching support from various stakeholders, the strike ended with the management agreeing to a “pay rise above inflation, ethical use of AI, a commitment to report on diversity in the workplace, and an agreement to negotiate for a fair deal for freelancers.”
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA Media) acting director Michelle Rae praised the union members for their unwavering commitment to assert their rights.
Our members should be very proud that their solidarity with each other and their commitment to their role of public interest journalism has produced this outcome.
They took a stand to protect quality journalism at their mastheads and it’s clear from the massive public support for the journalists while they were on strike that readers want access to quality journalism and the boards of media companies need to find a new business model.
During the strike, the Guardian Australia House Committee expressed solidarity with Nine journalists:
Journalists have worked hard through a global pandemic and a cost of living crisis, in an industry that is increasingly volatile. It is irresponsible and disrespectful to punish the very people that the company relies on for its success in pursuit of shareholder profits.
Newsroom staff of The Sydney Morning Herald walked out of their office at the start of the strike:
This cartoon depicts the support given by fellow journalists to the striking employees of Nine:
The union was simultaneously working to advance protections for freelancers writers. They also joined the picket line to demand better pay:
Journalists on strike used the X (Twitter) hashtag #DontTorchJournalism to share information and get support on social media.
Tito Ambyo, co-vice-president of the Melbourne Press Club, addressed the criticism that the strike affected news coverage of the ongoing Olympics in Paris. He wrote on Crikey:
What’s more important: two weeks of sports coverage or the future of a profession dedicated to informing the public and holding power to account?
It’s crucial to remember that journalists have no moral obligation to prioritise their audience over their working conditions. They have the right to protest, and protests are meant to be disruptive.
MEAA celebrated the successful strike by affirming that the campaign for meaningful journalism will continue.
The strike and ensuing negotiations reflected a larger problem in many countries’ media ecosystems where there is tension between making newsrooms profitable and ensuring journalists have fair wages and protections.
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