Fairfax begins consultations with staff
Fairfax has begun the consultation process with its staff following the announcement of “proposals” which would see the photographic desks of the newspapers shrink from 50 photographers to ten, further outsourcing of sub-editing and further editorial cuts to the lifestyle sections.
The company agreed to meet with staff after 24 hour walkouts from the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Wednesday in response to the cuts.
In an email to staff yesterday afternoon, Allen Williams managing director of Australian Publishing Media, which publishes Fairfax’s major newspaper mastheads, said they had agreed to extend the period of consultation.
“Today’s meeting was highly productive and I am pleased that consultation has resumed,” wrote Williams.
“I appreciate that many staff have extensive questions and feedback about the proposed changes. We have extended the consultation period and will use the additional time to consider and respond to your questions and feedback which will inform our decision making process.”
The union representing journalists, photographers and subeditors also issued a members bulletin noting how they were questioning the publisher on what agreements had been entered into.
“Asked specifically and repeatedly about any arrangements with Getty Images the company said no contract had been entered into,” said the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) Bulletin.
“The company has agreed to the establishment of working parties to consult in detail on each of the proposals and to develop alternatives. They have committed to provide sufficiently detailed information to those working parties to ensure viable alternative proposals can be developed.”
It is also understood that management, including Greg Hywood will address staff in coming days with more information about the redundancy proposal to be finalised by May 23.
Nic Christensen
MEAA Notice
House Committee representatives today had some productive discussions with the company.
The company has agreed to extend the period for consultation on their proposal to at least May 23, with a third week if more time is required.
Asked specifically and repeatedly about any arrangements with Getty Images the company said no contract had been entered into.
The company has agreed to the establishment of working parties to consult in detail on each of the proposals and to develop alternatives. They have committed to provide sufficiently detailed information to those working parties to ensure viable alternative proposals can be developed.
MEAA is today writing to the company with a list of detailed questions about the level of financial and other information we believe is required to make that process genuine, and the company have committed to responding to those questions by midday on Monday.
We have also requested authorised stop-work meetings on Monday afternoon in Sydney and Melbourne so that members can consider the company’s response and the detail of the consultation proposal. The company have indicated they will approve that request.
After today’s discussions, we also expect that the head of Metro Media, Allen Williams, and the chief executive, Greg Hywood, will take a future opportunity to address staff about why these changes are necessary.
Allen Williams email
Dear all
Following my announcement on 7 May 2014 regarding proposed changes in APM Editorial Production, Life Media and Photographic, we ran a number of initial staff consultation sessions.
Management representatives met with MEAA representatives today to continue the consultation process.
Today’s meeting was highly productive and I am pleased that consultation has resumed. I appreciate that many staff have extensive questions and feedback about the proposed changes. We have extended the consultation period and will use the additional time to consider and respond to your questions and feedback which will inform our decision making process.
We now expect to be in a position to advise on next steps by 23 May 2014. If more time is required to discuss the company’s proposals or to assess alternative proposals, consultation may enter a third week.
We welcome your feedback and encourage you to participate in the consultation by attending briefings and Q&A sessions next week.
Update on briefings
Melina Cruickshank and Sue Bennett spoke with the Life Media teams in both Sydney and Melbourne on Wednesday. They will continue with conversations.
The majority of Editorial Production staff were briefed by Tanya Adams (in Melbourne) and Rod Quinn (in Sydney). The night team will be invited to a combined video-conference briefing on Monday. Both Tanya and Rod are also available for further conversations.
Matt Martel spoke with the Photographic team in Sydney on Wednesday and will hold a briefing session with the Melbourne team next week. He is available to discuss the proposed changes or any alternative proposals raised by affected staff.
Darren Goodsir and Andrew Holden will each hold a general Q&A for their teams next week.
Management representatives have also agreed to commence a process with nominated MEAA representatives for Editorial Production, Photographic and Life Media whereby the company proposals will be discussed and alternative proposals can be explored.
We understand this is a difficult time for many staff. We have a duty of care to all our employees and take this obligation seriously. Please remember that our 24/7 confidential Employee Assistance Program is available to you and your immediate families – via telephone.
Allen Williams
Managing Director – APM
Like Noh theatre, the performance is simply repetitive. Fairfax results drop another cof, Corbett ticks another item in the Bain consulting list of job cuts. Hywood identifies this as another victory for “cost out culture”. Williams applauds the genius of Hywood. Goodsir and Holden get to tell the people who are sacked. Staff are outraged yet again by the further decline of a once comfortable place to submit their time sheets. MEAA abhors the management’s cruelty and censures it for not “consulting”. Management meets MEAA. Glorious solutions are found. Fairfax restores its profits. Everyone gets a pay rise. Sorry.
Nothing changes. In Fairfax is now well into the last ditch options. Like collaborating in NZ with APN – which will run up against competition laws for sure if it involves anything serious.
User ID not verified.
Re. “journalists, photographers and sub editors”, all of them are journalists. Perhaps you mean, “reporters, photographers and subeditors”.
User ID not verified.
Is Mumbrella going to run every internal email that is sent? Nic C, when did mumbrella turn into an internal bulletin for Fairfax?
User ID not verified.
Fck Fairfax. I recommend all the journo’s; all the working staff: leave and set up your own thing. You can do it in this digital age!
The suits have nothing. They have no idea how to steer a lean digital ship; they don’t!
OR; join the Guardian, BBC, CNN who are pushing globally. Whatever you do, continue to give Murdoch competition and #benicenotevil
User ID not verified.
So what do all you geniuses who condemn fairfax for cutting costs recommend they do instead given tanking print revenues (and they’re tanking for newspapers everywhere, not just fairfax. Check the latest News Corp results)? To do nothing, or not enough, on the cost front is a sure path to destruction.
User ID not verified.
Hard to escape the need for cost cutting @gimmeabreak. But what are they doing to grow revenues ? Latest readership figures out today show that readership of fairfax mastheads across digital and Print is at record levels (if you believe the EMMA data). And yet, revenue from those mastheads continues its seeming inexorable decline. That’s not a sustainable business model. The growth in Domain is subsidising the rest of the fairfax business in the same way News has been using profits from its movie and tv businesses to prop up its newspaper businesses for years .
User ID not verified.
“…leave and set up your own thing. You can do it in this digital age!…”
Definitely. Tons of great young talent at Fairfax held back by luddite senior management.
My editor (of a major Fairfax broadsheet) had his secretary (blonde of course) print out websites. HE COULDN’T USE THE INTERNET.
And no, this wasn’t 1998, this was 2012.
User ID not verified.
Hi Jamma,
Yes where emails to staff relate to redundancies and major changes to the company and we obtain them then yes we will publish them.
Cheers
Nic – Mumbrella
“…leave and set up your own thing. You can do it in this digital age!…”
Well, yes – anyone can publish a website or a blog. Monetising any digital audience you manage to attract is a whole different kettle of fish, as all of mainstream media know only too well. Good luck with that one….
User ID not verified.
@Charlie
It has to happen and it is happening. Media fragmentation is great, disrupting all the shit practices that have accumulated over the years.
Just as an example, when was the last time Fairfax ran a negative real-estate yarn? Who is the organisation working for in this instance? Certainly not the readers. And this wave of advertorials (or branded content or whatever you lot have named it for the week) – that is only going to kill off the last vestiges of respect the audience holds, and with it, their cash.
Meanwhile there’s terrific stuff out there. Reddit is a bit American, but demonstrates user generated content can be easily monetised. As a writer I get published by websites from around the world, and paid. Loving it.
The death of businesses like Fairfax is clearing the decks, opening up room for thousands of new enterprises. The opportunities are amazing. Embrace it!
User ID not verified.
@Bec: I can imagine that you feel good about your experience. But I seriously doubt that you believe this is apples for apples.
The whole point of Fairfax status is it’s uniqueness. Going back in time, the National Times seriously pissed off Keating and Wran and Hawke because they poked some things that those folk did not want poked. Keating and others made sure that when the family screwed up Packer its competitors would be advantaged. Keating gloats about that.
More recently, Kate McClymont burrowed into the house that Keating and Wran and others built – and found Eddie Obeid.
For the reporters who did that to do their job, there had to have been a serious culture. Backed by serious resources and a willingness to take pain (like when advertisers such as CBA and Telstra pull the budget because of some slight).
Sadly, the current Fairfax leadership has no idea. But you should not expect some insurgent blog site to take its place. More likely it will be the Daily Telegraph!
User ID not verified.
Bec, good on you for making money via websites. But bigger-picture wise, why the gleeful grave-dancing? Society really needs the accountability journalism and investigative skills nurtured and provided by organisations like Fairfax to tackle and expose the Obeids et al of the world. Reddit, Buzzfeed etc, as occasionally interesting as they might be, aren’t likely to help bring the local corporate, political and social scum to the surface and expose it. Fairfax-style platforms provide a massive, precious service to a society. I want them around.
User ID not verified.
Good on you Sally. I feel for sad for Australia if Fairfax doesn’t continue to transform. We want this great media company to continue to provide accountability.
Why do so many haters come out?
How sad to have our media consisting of buzzfeed, Facebook and blogs. Worse, news limited.
User ID not verified.
Yes, thanks, Bloz —– irrational odd hate like that reminds me of non-wealthy Americans who still blindly vote Republican, against Obamacare and equitable tax reform, etc. Kind of shooting oneself in the face.
As for the “Fairfax is left-wing” schtick, it’s Fairfax’s journalism that targeted the NSW Labour party cronies that brought on the previous ICAC enquiry.
User ID not verified.