ID :
17292
Thu, 08/28/2008 - 18:45
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/17292
The shortlink copeid
Age and SMH journos to strike
(AAP) Journalists at Fairfax newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have voted to strike until Monday, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) says.
Fairfax Media announced earlier this week it would cut 550 jobs in Australia and New
Zealand.
The job cuts, which affect five per cent of the Fairfax workforce, are being made
under a new business improvement program to save costs, the company said on Tuesday.
Staff from both papers met on Thursday afternoon and voted in favour of immediate
strike action.
Senior Age journalist Michael Bachelard said staff at the Melbourne broadsheet were
angry about the cuts and long-term pay negotiations.
"This was a motion that arose spontaneously from the floor of the meeting because
people are angry at the way the company has treated them both in terms of Enterprise
Agreement negotiations and also the redundancy announcements," Mr Bachelard said.
"Age staff are passionate about their masthead and their readers, and are
disappointed that the managers of the company appear willing to sacrifice quality
journalism for the sake of the bottom line."
Fairfax management would not comment on the industrial action, except to say its
papers would still come out on Friday.
"We can confirm that Fairfax newspapers will be published tomorrow as normal," a
spokeswoman for Fairfax in Sydney said.
However, she would not comment on whether papers would be published over the weekend.
Mr Bachelard said SMH and Age staff, and their Sunday counterparts on the Sun-Herald
and Sunday Age, made the decision to strike independently.
He described the matter as a "threshold issue".
"One comment from the meeting was that journalists decisively felt they wanted to
take a stand," he said.
"It's a serious thing they're trying to do.
"We'll make the same demands we have from the beginning - that the company
negotiates with us on Enterprise Agreements and to have the guts to inform us
properly about the cuts."
MEAA spokesman Mike Dobbie said staff fear journalism standards will plummet because
of the cost cutting measures.
"People are worried about their futures and if they are going to have a job in a few
weeks time," Mr Dobbie said.
"So far the company has refused to meet with the members who are also angry
management has been stalling on Enterprise Bargain Agreement negotiations.
"They wanted to signal to management they want to be involved and negotiated with
and consulted by the company as to what plans management has for Fairfax Media
rather than be treated dismissively and communicated to by email.
"They believe the new management team that has come in since the merger with Rural
Press is all about low cost and low quality journalism, which isn't good for anyone.
"It's not good for the paper, not good for the journalists and not good for the
communities they serve."
Fairfax, which merged with Rural Press in 2007, recorded a net profit of $386.9
million for 2007-08, up from $263.51 million the previous year.
The job cuts are expected to save Fairfax Media around $50 million a year.
The first high profile victim of the 550 job cuts came on Wednesday when Age editor
Andrew Jaspan was sacked after four years at the helm.
The cuts will include 180 editorial jobs.
Fairfax Media announced earlier this week it would cut 550 jobs in Australia and New
Zealand.
The job cuts, which affect five per cent of the Fairfax workforce, are being made
under a new business improvement program to save costs, the company said on Tuesday.
Staff from both papers met on Thursday afternoon and voted in favour of immediate
strike action.
Senior Age journalist Michael Bachelard said staff at the Melbourne broadsheet were
angry about the cuts and long-term pay negotiations.
"This was a motion that arose spontaneously from the floor of the meeting because
people are angry at the way the company has treated them both in terms of Enterprise
Agreement negotiations and also the redundancy announcements," Mr Bachelard said.
"Age staff are passionate about their masthead and their readers, and are
disappointed that the managers of the company appear willing to sacrifice quality
journalism for the sake of the bottom line."
Fairfax management would not comment on the industrial action, except to say its
papers would still come out on Friday.
"We can confirm that Fairfax newspapers will be published tomorrow as normal," a
spokeswoman for Fairfax in Sydney said.
However, she would not comment on whether papers would be published over the weekend.
Mr Bachelard said SMH and Age staff, and their Sunday counterparts on the Sun-Herald
and Sunday Age, made the decision to strike independently.
He described the matter as a "threshold issue".
"One comment from the meeting was that journalists decisively felt they wanted to
take a stand," he said.
"It's a serious thing they're trying to do.
"We'll make the same demands we have from the beginning - that the company
negotiates with us on Enterprise Agreements and to have the guts to inform us
properly about the cuts."
MEAA spokesman Mike Dobbie said staff fear journalism standards will plummet because
of the cost cutting measures.
"People are worried about their futures and if they are going to have a job in a few
weeks time," Mr Dobbie said.
"So far the company has refused to meet with the members who are also angry
management has been stalling on Enterprise Bargain Agreement negotiations.
"They wanted to signal to management they want to be involved and negotiated with
and consulted by the company as to what plans management has for Fairfax Media
rather than be treated dismissively and communicated to by email.
"They believe the new management team that has come in since the merger with Rural
Press is all about low cost and low quality journalism, which isn't good for anyone.
"It's not good for the paper, not good for the journalists and not good for the
communities they serve."
Fairfax, which merged with Rural Press in 2007, recorded a net profit of $386.9
million for 2007-08, up from $263.51 million the previous year.
The job cuts are expected to save Fairfax Media around $50 million a year.
The first high profile victim of the 550 job cuts came on Wednesday when Age editor
Andrew Jaspan was sacked after four years at the helm.
The cuts will include 180 editorial jobs.
