Hundred of Nine newspapers reporters will walk off the job on the eve of the Olympics Games in Paris.
Journalists who work for the company’s major mastheads will commence a five-day strike starting at 11am Friday over a long-running pay dispute.
Reporters from The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review, WAToday and the Brisbane Times will take part in the industrial action.
The strikes begins hours before the Games opening ceremony on Friday night.
Nine owns the exclusive broadcast rights for the world’s biggest sporting event as part of a $305million deal that’s extended to the 2032 Games in Brisbane.
Talks over annual pay rates between Nine’s management and union representatives from the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) broke down on Thursday.
Nine offered staff an annual 3.5 per cent pay rise in a desperate attempt to stop the strikes, news.com.au reports.
Several staff members told the publication that reporters were frustrated that pay rises were not keeping up with the cost of living.
Channel Nine has been dealt another blow, with reporters from their major newspapers to go on strike for five days starting on Friday over a pay dispute (pictured Karl Stefanovic and Nine Entertainment CEO Mike Sneesby in Paris this week)
The editors of None newspapers and websites will be forced to use content from global publishing agencies over the weekend as a result of the disruption.
The change is understood to be in place for the duration of the following week.
Nine Publishing managing director ofTory Maguire called a snap meeting on Thursday to discuss the matter.
The revised pay deal comes after a two per cent wage increase was provided to publishing staff.
Around 90 per cent of reporters who are members of the MEAA, rejected the deal.
Negotiations to increase wages have been ongoing for several months before Nine Entertainment chief executive Mike Sneesby announced job cuts last month.
Around 200 job are expected to be slashed from the nationwide team of 5,000 staff as part of a $30million cost-cutting plan for the business.
The job cuts will also include the loss of 90 positions, which are set to be eliminated from company’s publishing division.
The redundancies will effect roles at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Australian Financial Review.
The job cuts will also effect 38 positions in the high-profile news and current affairs broadcast team, which encompasses Nine News and 60 Minutes.
The industrial actions comes as the company prepares to cut around 200 jobs as part of a $30 million cost-cutting plan (pictured Channel Nine Olympics broadcast team)
A Nine spokesperson said measures are in place to minimise disruptions to their services as a result of the strike.
‘Comprehensive plans are in place to ensure the production and distribution of Nine Publishing mastheads will not be impacted and our readers will continue to have access to unrivalled coverage of the Paris Olympics,’ the spokesperson said.
‘Nine recognises the rights of unions to take industrial action but believe that a return to the negotiating table is the best way to progress the EBA (enterprise bargaining agreement)’.
The spokesman said the revised pay deal is a reasonable offer and said the company would like negotiations to resume as soon as possible.
Reporters from Nine’s major mastheads (pictured) are understood to unhappy that pay rises were not keeping up with the cost of living
Staff are also understood to be furious at the limited protections in place against the use of Artificial Intelligence in newsrooms.
Director of Media at the MEAA Michelle Rae said staff deserve a substantial increase to their wages.
‘Journalists have asked for a modest wage increase in line with the CPI after foregoing any pay rise during COVID,’ Ms Rae said.
‘It’s totally unacceptable that the company is asking workers to make a choice between a modest pay rise and the possibility of more job cuts’.
