Hundreds of print journalists could walk off the job within days unless they reach a last-minute deal with their employers.
Journalists at Nine Publishing – which includes the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Australian Financial Review – voted overwhelmingly on Monday to strike for five days from Friday, a decision that could affect their coverage during the opening weekend of the Olympics in Paris.
On the other side of the world, Nine chief executive Mike Sneesby was seen running through the streets of the French capital on Monday, proudly holding the Olympic flame.
Reporters on the ground said Sneesby enjoyed the attention from the adoring crowd, stopping to take selfies and allowing fans to touch the torch before it was quickly whisked away.
He came under fire earlier this month when he flew to Greece with his family for a week-long holiday, hours after 200 jobs were cut at the media company.
Nearly half of those jobs are expected to disappear from print newspapers including the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Australian Financial Review.
The cuts prompted a resounding vote of no confidence in Sneesby from members of the Media Entertainment Arts Alliance at Nine Publishing.
More than 90 per cent of Nine Publishing journalists who are union members voted on Monday to take industrial action if they are unable to negotiate a new enterprise bargaining agreement in the coming days.
Nine print journalists, including staff at The Age (pictured during an earlier strike), could walk off the job on Friday
Nine boss Mike Sneesby (pictured with wife Ursula) is currently in Paris for the Olympics.
The strike threat is a response to the company’s refusal to offer a fair wage that includes a raise better than the CPI, a pay audit and diversity quotas and protection against the use of AI, according to the MEAA.
“The company’s pay offer fails to recognise cost-of-living pressures and management has failed to address other complaints from journalists, including a genuine commitment to better gender and cultural diversity in the workplace, improvements to grade progression and protection through consultation in relation to AI,” the statement said.
‘These newspapers have strong financial performance and a reputation for award-winning journalism, and Nine needs to invest in its editorial frontline before its bottom line.’
Nine has acquired broadcast rights to the Summer and Winter Olympics in a $305 million deal that runs through to the 2032 Games in Brisbane.
It is understood that at least 17 staff members assigned to cover the Olympics in Paris could walk away from their jobs if a new business deal is not reached by Friday.
The Media Arts Entertainment Alliance has urged Nine to invest in its editorial frontline before its financial bottom line recovers. Pictured are staff at an earlier strike
“The decision to strike was not taken lightly, as an event like the Olympic Games only takes place every four years,” MEAA continued.
‘Members regret any disruption the strike may cause.’
The union urged management to resolve the issues when the two sides meet again at the next bargaining meeting on Wednesday.
An anonymous employee claimed Sneesby’s recent Greek holiday was comparable to Scott Morrison’s infamous decision to take his family on holiday to Hawaii during the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20.
