‘Freelancers will fight for a fair deal’: Journalist negotiations not over at Nine

BY Nathan Jolly

August 7, 2024 10:06

‘Freelancers will fight for a fair deal’: Journalist negotiations not over at Nine

The MEAA secured pay rises and improved conditions for its Nine journalists, but the negotiations are far from finished, as the union vows to now secure minimum standards for freelancers.

The union has sent a letter to its members this week claiming the new enterprise bargaining agreement won by MEAA members at Nine Publishing last week “has the potential to set a new industry standard for freelancers”.

The union noted that freelance journalists “stood side-by-side on the picket line with in-house staff from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, Brisbane Times and WAtoday in an inspiring and historic show of solidarity”.

In return, the MEAA said Nine’s contracted staff “insisted that a commitment to negotiate minimum standards with freelancers was part of the final deal” the members voted for last Wednesday, upon returning to the workplace after the five-day strike.

“Now that the claim for freelance negotiations has been backed in by members and won, freelancers will fight for a fair deal,” the MEAA declared.

As part of the deal struck last week, Nine Publishing promised to deliver pay rises of 4%, 3.75% and 3.75% over the next three years. Members have also won protections against AI and a diversity commitment in the newsrooms for all mastheads.

“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,” said acting MEAA Media Director Michelle Rae.

“They took a stand to protect quality journalism at their mastheads and it’s clear from the massive public support for the journalists while they were on strike that readers want access to quality journalism and the boards of media companies need to find a new business model.”

Nine management and MEAA representatives will draft the new enterprise bargaining deal together, which will be followed by a vote by union members, before the Fair Work Commission will sign off on the deal.

MEAA told Mumbrella this morning that it’s still “early days”, regarding what exactly the freelance deal would look like, but the gold standard would be the Freelance Charter of Rights, which includes dispute resolution, transparent rates of pay, 10% super, copyright protection, and the like.

“It’s hugely significant that Nine have agreed to negotiate freelance standards because freelancers have always been on the outer when it comes to previous EBAs,” an MEAA spokesperson told Mumbrella, “so it’s massive recognition of their importance to the editorial future of the mastheads.

“Both staff and freelancers stood side-by-side during the strike because they have a common cause of respect at work, decent pay and conditions, and ethical, quality journalism.

“Freelancers are the most vulnerable workers in the media industry with precarious and insecure working conditions and incomes and MEAA is determined to help them improve their working lives.

“We look forward to negotiating a fair deal for freelancers with management.”