A number of ABC staff walked off the job for an hour this morning and are expected to do so again this afternoon as part of an “angry” response to ABC management’s approach to negotiating a pay deal.
For the first time in more than a decade, strike action caused disruptions to Radio National programs and other broadcasts from about 7am.
Members of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) are expected to stop work for another hour from 3pm. The union declined to disclose how many members would walk out but the number is understood to be in the low hundreds.
The union’s ABC section secretary, Sinddy Ealy, said members went ahead with action to “send a message” of disapproval to management over the “lack of respect” they’ve been shown through the bargaining process.
Two key demands were left unmet in a revised offer tabled by ABC management on Tuesday, Ealy said, including improved pay and progression.
“CPSU members made a commitment to take action today if the ABC management did not meet two key demands that were outstanding in bargaining. Unsurprisingly, they did not adequately meet those demands,” Ealy said.
“This is a reflection of the way ABC management have behaved throughout the entire process. They have dug their heels in at every possible point, even when it was at the detriment of the ABC as a whole, and CPSU members have had enough.”
A spokesperson for the ABC said the strike action this morning caused some changes to programming on the broadcaster’s flagship Radio National, along with Sydney Local Radio. RN Breakfast was off-air altogether between 7am and 8am.
“We regret audiences were impacted and we welcome the MEAA’s decision to call off its stopwork action,” the spokesperson told Crikey.
At 3pm Wednesday, staff at the ABC’s Ultimo office “might” sing together in solidarity to the tune of “Glory, glory hallelujah!”, sources said. Lyric sheets were dispersed around the office over the course of Wednesday morning. It is understood the lyric sheets are not union material. The sheet reads:
They exploit us with our pay-rates, which are globally among,
The lowest in the industry oh crickey we are stung!
But they’ll tremble at our voices, when they hear these verses sung,
For the Union makes us strong.
Both the CPSU and Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), which between them represent more than 1000 members at the national broadcaster, planned to walk off the job together on Wednesday, after giving notice of two one-hour stoppages last week.
But the MEAA called off its strike late on Tuesday after reaching in-principle agreement with management over a new pay deal, which included pay rises for staff of 11% over three years backdated to October last year, and a $1500 sign-on bonus.
MEAA media director Cassie Derrick said management had also agreed to an audit of the broadcaster’s gender and culturally and linguistically diverse pay gap, and to involve the union in the legal drafting of a new enterprise agreement.
The ABC has also committed to “fix the broken buyout system” and formalise new pathways for career progression, Derrick said.
“Clearly the threat of industrial action has helped to focus ABC management’s mind, as has the outpouring of support for our members from ABC viewers and listeners,” Derrick said. “This has never been just about pay. It’s about ensuring a fair go at forging a career at the public broadcaster.”
Earlier this month, ABC media union members voted overwhelmingly to support a 40-minute walkout due to coincide with the Reserve Bank’s decision to raise the official cash rate for the tenth time, a significant national news event.
Sources familiar with the negotiations said the threat of action in early March offered an inflection point for the bargaining process, which ABC managing director David Anderson joined in late February in a bid to stave off strike action.
As MEAA members mull over management’s revised offer, representatives of the CPSU said it will continue to push for its demands to be met.
“We have been clear with ABC management about what minor movements are required on their part for both unions to endorse the offer and recommend members vote yes,” Ealy said. “It’s now time for the ABC management to listen to their employees and do what is right by them and their organisation.”
Maybe this is the true source of the conservatives unhappiness with the ABC. It seems to be well unionised. Conservatives hate it when employees have strength in bargaining and are prepared to use that strength.
Does induce some scepticism?
‘Strike action across the ABC resulted in disruptions to programs on Wednesday morning for the first time in more than a decade.’
Of course this ignores the more recent self inflicted or externally directed ‘disruption’ by management e.g. Radio National being subjected to ‘szalami tactics’ reminiscent of Niemoller’s ‘They Came’ to avoid audience participation and critical feedback on content?
First Sunday Extra host was replaced by an American conservative several years ago, comments dropped, then LNL & Saturday Extra followed…
Quest to become anodyne and irrelevant, can then be used to justify further attacks and cuts….
Sunday Extra is hosted by Julian Morrow and Late Night Live by Phillip Adams – neither can be described as conservative. Saturday Extra is hosted by Geraldine Doogue who produces some of the most balanced journalism available.
Sunday Extra was originally Jonathan Green, replaced by Tom Switzer (then US Studies Centre & now head of Koch linked think tank, CIS Sydney) and now Morrow, but even the latter allowed former NP leader & Dep PM Anderson to promote his own conservative podcast and views, without pushback, basically free promotion (only other was Sky News).
Adams and Doogue may not be ‘conservative’ but they too seem to have become a bit soft on some guests, reluctant to push back, even when guests lack expertise for given field, even Adams praising Ita claiming he will never retire. On Adams, understand he has had health problems (seems to be missing more), but surely for them and others there is middle aged or younger talent at the ABC?
Like any sector, field or occupation those working within can become out of date, too chummy with interviewees and like many workplaces in Australia, promotion is precluded by those senior, in the baby boomer bubble, ‘hanging onto to their chairs’?
I agree that the board was infiltrated with flaky neo cons – with the view to appease and cut OUR ABC ( Tories killing BBC COPYCATS) However please stop with ageism – Bernie Sanders is over 40 is his gravitas and democratic progressive mind too okd to be seen or heard? – how many very conservative young are there do you think Drew ? Open your mind too or your ageism is equivalent to those We smarter women are also gaslit and victimised – The phrase “young” is transient state – simplistic “young people are plenty reductive and conservative too – and the neo cons rear their ugly heads through history – wake up
the phrase(sic)”young people” is such a cheap catch all- its simply a transient state no more no less
how bout stan and hamish ? where are ANY EXPERIENCED WOMEN ON MEDIA IN THIS place ? what ? a handfull ?The new hosts on the ? What Studio 10 ? I think youre confusing age with intellect and talent
“O Crikey, we are stung.”
Does induce some scepticism?
‘Strike action across the ABC resulted in disruptions to programs on Wednesday morning for the first time in more than a decade.’
Of course this ignores the more recent self inflicted or externally directed ‘disruption’ by management e.g. Radio National being subjected to ‘szalami tactics’ reminiscent of Niemoller’s ‘They Came’ to avoid audience participation and critical feedback on content?
No transcripts, anodyne platforming of mostly retired RW MPs &/or not challenged, Listen App not available offshore, programs not promoted through Twitter by neither program hosts nor producers and official informal feedback is BS or a massive copyright breach e.g. claiming offshore copyright on app &/or programs but content still accessible via websites?
Quest to become anodyne and irrelevant can then be used to justify further attacks and cuts….
Here the labor Tories are sitting on their collectve too – what a politicsl cartel we have – Crying whikst Nth Qld Doomadgee victims are cut off and social housing and women over 45 are thrown out of homes and jobs and made fodder for enslavery by jobs provider business and govt mates and international investor parasites – the 2 party system are almost step by step in a race to sell us ALL out – exceptso called “investor ” .. RBA – what a cock up – on mechanism to control inflation when it was caused and is perpetuated by the cartels, fossil lobby, big pharma.. private training vagabonds in aged, NDIS, property councils,childcare ; all lobbying regularly on The Drum
Major changes need to occur at the ABC. Every position on the board should be up for grabs. Money stripped from their annual budget should be returned