Nine publishing staff to proceed with strike as last ditch pay offer rejected
The strike action threatens to derail Nine’s coverage of the Paris Olympics, the opening gambit on CEO Mike Sneesby's $305m bet on the games through to 2032.
Unionised publishing staff at Nine Entertainment have rejected an eleventh hour, sweetened pay offer from management, setting the stage for a five day strike encompassing the opening weekend of the Paris Olympics.
The vote followed a last-ditch effort by Nine publishing boss Tory Maguire, who travelled between Melbourne and Sydney on Thursday in a bid to encourage staff of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Australian Financial Review to consider the company’s revised pay offer ahead of imminent strike action.
In negotiations on Wednesday, Nine offered staff a three-year deal including pay rises of 3.5% in the first year, 4% in the second, and 3% in the third, if the division’s two pay schedules — which provide different pay grades for designers and subeditors compared to journalists — are combined.
“We told the company that the workforce expected at least a 4 this year. They eventually left the room and got approval from chief executive Mike Sneesby and the CFO for a 3.5% — 4% — 3% deal (schedules collapsed),” staff were told by bargaining representatives, according to a message seen by Capital Brief.
