ABC staff are set to strike on Wednesday following a vote by members of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) and the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU).
A 24-hour strike will begin at 11am AEDT, impacting ABC News and other divisions.
It follows a months-long pay dispute and marks the first industrial action at the ABC in 20 years.
Here’s what you need to know.
Context
ABC staff and management have been negotiating a new agreement on wages and conditions.
Staff are represented by the MEAA and the CPSU (ABC staff can join the public service union because the network is Government-funded). Both unions’ members at the ABC must agree on the deal for it to go into effect.
During negotiations, staff have pushed for pay rises of 5.5% each year for three years.
ABC management offered rises of around 3.25–3.5% per year.
Staff argued management’s offer was below inflation, meaning it would not actually be a pay rise.
Beyond pay, staff also raised concerns about job security, career progression, and the use of AI in the workplace.
They also asked for an audit into how pay gaps affect staff with disabilities or from racial minorities.
The MEAA said ABC management’s offer ignored most of these issues.
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Action
Earlier this month, more than 90% of MEAA members who work at the ABC said they were willing to take industrial action, such as a strike.
ABC staff last struck in 2006.
While voting was open on a possible strike, ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks added a one-off $1,000 cash payment for most staff to the existing offer.
Staff were asked to vote on this updated package.
Among CPSU members, nearly three quarters of all eligible staff participated in the vote, with 60% voting no on the new deal and yes on the possibility of a strike.
Among MEAA members, 90% of those voting agreed to a strike.
With the offer rejected, unions called a 24-hour strike starting at 11am AEDT on Wednesday 25 March.
Management can avoid the strike by coming back with a better offer before Wednesday morning. If they don’t, there will be disruptions to ABC News and other programming.
ABC Section Secretary for the CPSU Jocelyn Gammie said: “The last thing union members want to do is inconvenience loyal ABC audiences... but key bargaining claims remain unresolved.”
MEAA CEO Erin Madeley said: “This isn’t just a workforce issue. When skilled, experienced staff are forced out, communities lose trusted local voices, particularly in regional Australia where the ABC is often the only local newsroom.”
Earlier this month, Marks told The Australian Financial Review: “I would hope the staff would see that the offer that’s being made is fair and reasonable and accept it.”
