ABC staff offered better pay deal after strike
ABC management has made an improved pay offer to its staff, following last week’s strike action.
The new offer includes a 10.5% pay increase over three years — 4% in the first year, backdated to October 2025, followed by 3.25% in subsequent years — and improved pay-band progression pathways.
The Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s (MEAA) chief executive Erin Madeley called this a “significant improvement” on the initial offer, despite being just 0.5% higher in financial terms than the deal they rejected.
The stalled negotiations resulted in industrial action last Wednesday, when over 2,000 staffers walked of the job for 24 hours. The disruption to programming forced management to run BBC World Service news bulletins, repeats, and pre-recorded material across its television and radio network.
On Monday, a Fair Work Commission hearing was attended by representatives of the ABC, the MEAA and the Community and Public Sector Union.
Over 1,200 MEAA members at the ABC will vote tomorrow on whether they will accept the new offer.
“We welcome the improvements that are now on the table to support ABC staff in delivering the quality, independent news and programming that they rely on,” Madeley said.
“MEAA sees this revised offer as an acknowledgement by ABC management that quality news starts with quality jobs for the highly skilled and dedicated workers at the ABC.
“Without them, the ABC cannot deliver local radio, flagship news programs, or its national radio networks.”
During an interview on ABC Sydney on Wednesday morning, hours before the strike, Hugh Marks said he felt “terrible” that the negotiations had impacted the station’s output.
“We will be using BBC content where that’s appropriate, so we will be maintaining services, but they won’t be the standard I would like to be on air.”
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Pssttttt.
A 4% in the first year, 3.25% in the second year, and 3.25% in the third year actually produces a 10.87% accumulated rate … a meagre but worth an improvement. However, Trump’s egomania will bugger the lot up.