Staff at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation are set to strike on Wednesday for the first time in two decades, following the rejection of a proposed pay increase.
The 24-hour industrial action will begin at 11:00 local time (00:00 GMT) and is anticipated to cause interruptions to live television and radio programming.
The walkout follows a vote in which 60% of ABC employees turned down management’s offer of a 10% cumulative pay rise over three years, comprising 3.5% in the first year and 3.25% in each of the following two years. This comes as Australia reported a 3.8% annual inflation rate in January.
Unions argued that the offer was insufficient and did not address several other issues, including reproductive health leave and the integration of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
The ABC employs approximately 4,500 people, with around 75% participating in the vote on Sunday.
“We can’t accept a deal that cuts conditions, sends pay backwards against inflation and refuses to rule out replacing ABC journalists with AI bots,” said Michael Slezak of the journalists’ union, Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA).
Disruptions are “inevitable” unless the ABC presents a “fair offer,” added Jocelyn Gammie from the non-journalists’ union, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU).
“The last thing union members want to do is inconvenience loyal ABC audiences by disrupting programming and services, but key bargaining claims remain unresolved,” she said.
ABC managing director Hugh Marks defended the pay proposal, stating it “reflects the maximum level the ABC can sustainably provide and is balanced when looking across all the factors that we need to consider.”
Marks emphasized that the offer is “both sustainable and financially responsible.”
The broadcaster plans to seek assistance from Australia’s Fair Work Commission to help mediate the dispute.
The previous strike by ABC employees occurred in 2006, also concerning pay and working conditions.
