Media union demands answers from ABC about job cuts
The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) has called upon the ABC to explain how its recently announced restructure, which will include up to 200 job losses, will affect the broadcaster’s news services.
Michelle Guthrie, ABC’s managing director, announced the restructure, which will see management reduced by 20%, on Tuesday. Support areas are set to absorb a higher percentage of the cuts.
Guthrie said the changes were essential to the long-term health of the organisation and resulted from the need for the broadcaster to adapt to wider changes within the media sector.
“But now it seems Ms Guthrie is robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Err .. yes, where else is the ABC to get the money to do this?
What’s so amusing about all this is that it was twenty years ago, almost to the day, that then managing director Brian Johns announced, with loud support and endorsement from the unions, that there was to be a 15% management cull. Yet after ten years of Mark Scott, there are more “managers” (and less quality programs) than ever before necessitating a 20% cut now. Look out NSW education.