Journalists at Nine Entertainment have ended a five-day strike after the authorities agreed to their demand of an 11.5% increase in salary.
The agreement, reached with the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), will ensure a better working environment for freelancers, and ethical AI use, among others, Nine News reported.
After meetings Wednesday afternoon, union members from several newspapers, including WAtoday, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, Brisbane Times, and Sydney Morning Herald, decided to accept the new salary offer in principle, Sky News reported.
Under the deal, the staff will receive a 4% salary hike in the first year and 3.75% in the two consecutive years.
Compared to an earlier offer of 10% over three years that was turned down by journalists, this proposal was 1% better. The prior offer fell short in addressing the March quarter’s 3.6% rate of inflation.
“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,” MEAA Director Michelle Rae said. “In an historic first, staff and freelancers stood side-by-side so that no one was left behind.”
“This could have been avoided if Nine’s managers had listened to the concerns raised by union representatives over many meetings,” she said. “Instead, the company’s earlier failure to resolve the enterprise bargaining agreement and its announcement of up to 90 job cuts has caused reputational damage to Nine.”
Last week, Nine Entertainment’s journalists from the publishing division had walked out, leading to disruptions in the company’s coverage of the Paris Olympics. Nine Entertainment was the official broadcaster of the 2024 Olympics, having paid $100 million for this year’s broadcast rights alone.
