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Fairfax staff vote to strike next week

Fairfax media logoEditorial staff at Fairfax have again rejected a company offer of a pay rise and voted to strike beginning next week.

A meeting of Fairfax members of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) voted unanimously to reject the pay offer and hold a one hour work stoppage today, ahead further strikes next week.

The resolution passed at the meeting yesterday took aim at claims by senior Fairfax executive Gail Hambly last week that the staff at the publisher had not “backed itself”, after it was revealed that the senior executives had given themselves significant pay rises in the most recent company financial results.

“(We) note management’s view that Fairfax journalists do not “back themselves”, and ask that management consider rewarding their journalists in a similar vein to the $2.4 million pay rise awarded to the top four executives,” said the MEAA resolution. 

The vote for strike action sees the union enact its right to take strike action from next week of between 24-72 hours in duration from Wednesday to Friday.

Fairfax staff will today again wear FairgoFairfax t-shirts as show of support for management to increase their previous offers which have comprised a merit pool of bonus payments but no general pay rise for editorial staff.

“Finally, we call on the company to recognise the productivity gains contributed by journalists across the board in an environment where staff hav been reduced by one third,” said the resolution

Nic Christensen 

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