Fairfax strikers say it is ‘up in the air’ whether staff return to work at 3pm
Sources at Fairfax Media say that it is “up in the air” as to whether staff at the publisher’s various major mastheads will return to work at the end of the walkout at 3pm today, while management has threatened to dock wages and potentially terminate staff involved in the “unlawful” industrial actions.
Yesterday, saw around 500 members of staff at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age walk out after the publisher announced “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 strike was supported with subsequent walk outs by staffs at The Canberra Times, Illawarra Mercury, Newcastle Herald and a partial walkout of union members at the Australian Financial Review.
Photographers at The Age protesting the redundancies.
Staff at newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne have told Mumbrella there is still uncertainty about whether they will vote to return to work following further stop work meetings to be held at 3pm today.
“It is very much up in the air as to whether we go back to work”, said one Fairfax senior reporter. “The strike could definitely potentially go on. I’m not saying it will but there is definitely the potential for it to.
“I don’t think people will vote to go back. Management has gone too far this time we need to take a stand,” said another SMH staffer.
The uncertainty comes on a day when Fairfax management have been forced to put out smaller editions of the newspapers using only AAP wires and copy filed before the walkouts. Similarly the websites for the two mastheads, two of the most visited in the country, have had only a handful of update from newswire copy since the action started.
Yesterday Allen Williams, managing director of Australian Publishing Media, sent an email to staff threatening disciplinary action, docking the wages of staff and possible termination for staff who participate in the industrial action.
He wrote in the email: “The company will also consider taking disciplinary action against those employees who participate in any unlawful industrial action, which may include the possibility of terminating your employment.
“There is no difference between participating in an unlawful strike and simply not attending for work without a proper reason. We consider both examples to be an unauthorised absence, damaging to your mastheads and a breach of your legal duties to the company.”
The email appears to have only fuelled staff anger, although previous Fairfax strikes have also seen similar correspondence.
“I think people are sick and tired of management,” said another staffer. “To send that email… I mean really. Are they really going to staff 600 plus staff? It’s not helping.”
The House Committees of the Herald and Age are understood to be meeting today to discuss what their members wants from management. Understood to be among the demands are that Fairfax CEO Greg Hywood address the staff, working groups be established between management and staff and for alternatives to be established to help retain photographers and subeditors in-house.
There is also a picket line outside the office of Fairfax headquarters at Darling Island, while some Fairfax staffers have been tweeting images of the best Fairfax photography to highlight the issue.
Other sources have suggested that even if staff do vote to return at the 3pm stop work meeting this will not be the last of the industrial actions.
“We will go into the stop work meeting where the floor will decide what we do next, but even if we do go back to work, this is the start of a process it is not the end,” said one Age source.
“The problem with strikes at Fairfax is that they have been one offs where staff let off some steam and then come back and fold. We can’t let that happen this time.”
Fairfax have failed to respond to requests for comment on the email to staff.
Nic Christensen
Allen’s Williams, email to staff:
Dear All
This afternoon, a number of editorial staff attended unauthorised stop work meetings. This action was unlawful and caused unnecessary disruption to the business.
In the event of any continued unlawful industrial action, we want to make the company’s position very clear.
Any industrial action during the term of the Metro Journalists enterprise agreement (ie until 30 June 2014) is unlawful.
In addition to docking a minimum of 4 hours pay (as required under legislation), the company will also consider taking disciplinary action against those employees who participate in any unlawful industrial action, which may include the possibility of terminating your employment. There is no difference between participating in an unlawful strike and simply not attending for work without a proper reason. We consider both examples to be an unauthorised absence, damaging to your mastheads and a breach of your legal duties to the company.
Individual employees are free not to participate in industrial action (lawful or otherwise). Irrespective of whether or not you are in an exempt position under the enterprise agreement, you can choose to continue to work during industrial action. Employees should not feel intimidated or pressured into taking industrial action.
We have responsibilities to our audience across print and digital platforms. We are committed to this and know many of you are as well.
We encourage you to continue working and allow the consultation process to run its course.
Allen Williams
Managing Director – APM
Fairfax should sack like every other media company does – slowly and one at a time until the 50 have all been shown the door. These mass sackings are never going to go well. It’s all too messy and emotional.
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The worse part of this is they repeatedly get the communication around it wrong, it blows up and is played out publicly.
Every other company does redundancies but it doesn’t make the media.
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Mr Williams I also believe that Employees should not feel intimidated or pressured into NOT taking industrial action either.
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500 staff walked off the job?
This is a highly inflated and inaccurate figure Mr Christensen.
As for the picket line out the front of the Fairfax HQ.. I’ve been nearby all day and there’s about 30 people milling around.. last time I saw, eating pizza and sunbaking.
This is one massive beat up.
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Hi Beat Up,
That figure is conservative and covers the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Canberra Times, Illawarra Mercury, Newcastle Herald and a partial walkout of the Financial Review.
It is confirmed by the Media Entertainment Alliance and is well below other media reports. Pyrmont only holds the SMH and AFR and I’m not sure the size of the picket is a reflection of the size of the strike or our journalism.
Cheers
Nic – Mumbrella.