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Nine Publishing improves offer in discussions with MEAA bargaining team

The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) has sent out an update to its members following its third meeting with Nine Publishing management to discuss the publisher’s enterprise bargaining agreement.

In the update, MEAA confirmed that Nine Publishing management had offered an “additional 0.5% discretionary performance based increase” as well as making a public commitment to the Charter of Editorial Independence and drafting its own diversity clause for consideration by MEAA. Management also agreed “employees should be able to retain at least 4 weeks’ annual leave where directed to take annual leave”.

MEAA’s response to the slightly improved offer from Nine Publishing outlined that the discretionary performance-based increase did not address members’ “demands for higher guaranteed pay increases” and continued to fall far short of the union’s claim of 6% per annum. The MEAA was especially disappointed in the offer given the support Nine received from Google and Facebook, as well as the sacrifices made by staff during the pandemic.

The Bargaining Team relayed the following message to management: “In the wake of large Company profits and income from Google and Facebook, MEAA members across all mastheads are insulted by the Company’s low pay offer. The offer ignores the immense amount of work done in difficult circumstances throughout the pandemic, rising cost of living, and 2020 pay freeze which staff entered into in good faith. We will not accept any offer that freezes more staff out of the guaranteed pay increases we deserve.”

Nine Publishing also rejected members’ claims to improve automatic grading and increase notice of roster to six weeks.

MEAA will hold in person workplace meetings across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to discuss the claims on Wednesday the 25th of May.

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