On Tuesday 13 September, journalists from The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, WAToday and Brisbane Times mastheads voted in favour of a two-year revised Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) that allows a 4 per cent pay rise for lower-paid staff.
The new deal – offered by Nine on Monday 12 September – was voted for by photographers, reporters, cartoonists, editors and production staff across the mastheads. Carried under the proviso that the EBA is back-paid to July 1 2022, the acceptance vote means the intended strike of staff from the mastheads that was planned for Thursday and Friday will not go ahead.
Managing director of publishing at Nine James Chessell said: “I’m pleased we’ve been able to reach an in-principle agreement with staff that rewards them for their excellent work and ensures stability for the mastheads. It means we will be able to focus even more on producing high-quality, public interest journalism for our valued readers and subscribers.”
The new EBA will see accelerated growth through the grading system to grade 5, after no more than two years on grade 4 (previously, accelerated grading stopped at grade 4). The 4 per cent pay increase will occur in the first year of the EBA, with a 3.5 per cent increase in the second year.
Media director of the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) Adam Portelli said: “MEAA members today achieved an impressive result securing strong increases, particularly for younger staff who now have a system of career progression and additional increases baked into the agreement.
“Journalists have provided an essential service over the last few years, keeping us informed through the pandemic, bushfire and floods. It’s only fair their role has been recognised in this agreement.”
In a deal separate from the EBA, Nine has implemented a freelancer policy to provide minimum standards for freelancers in the industry.