Crikey journalists seal 4% annual pay rises, AI protections in new deal
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The news: Crikey publisher Private Media has struck a three-year pay deal with staff that will see journalists at the company receive annual pay rises of 4% and assurances around the use of AI at the company.
The details: The deal was confirmed on Thursday by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), which described the agreement’s AI guardrails as “industry-leading”, as the union gears up for negotiations with other companies next year.
The union said Private Media has “explicitly stated” in the agreement that AI “would not replace human workers” and that all output will have human oversight.
The agreement will also see First Nations workers at the company get six days of paid cultural and ceremonial leave a year, and an “industry first” entitlement of eight days per year of reproductive leave.
On top of the 4% annual pay rises, staff secured mechanisms supporting pay and career progression, including access to higher pay bands. Private Media has also formalised the completion of its annual gender and diversity audits, the union said.
What they said: “MEAA members’ approach to bargaining at Private Media highlighted that when the union and management focus on the needs and concerns of workers and audiences, a progressive deal can be reached that benefits the publication and the workforce, and supports ethical, diverse and public interest news and information,” MEAA chief executive Erin Madeley said in a statement.
“This agreement sets a standard for employers across the media industry to follow.”
Private Media CEO Will Hayward said: “AI will be part of that future, but using it without human sign-off, or simply as a way to cut costs, is the opposite of what media companies should be doing.
“We’re delighted to sign this agreement and commit to working with our editorial teams to think about the best ways to use technology in service of our audiences, and in a way that is sustainable for the long term.”
The source: MEAA statement
