Australia’s ABC Staff Go on Strike After 20 Years

Staff at the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) went on strike for the first time in 20 years after rejecting a pay rise offer.

The unions said the offer was too low and failed to address other concerns. (Photo: Chris Olszewski, Wikimedia Commons)

The 24-hour strike, which began at 11:00 local time (00:00 GMT), disrupted live television and radio broadcasts, BBC News reported.

It comes after 60% of ABC staff rejected management’s offer of a 10% total pay rise over three years—3.5% in the first year and 3.25% in each of the following two years. Australia recorded an annual inflation rate of 3.8% in January.

The unions said the offer was too low and failed to address other concerns, including reproductive health leave and the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

ABC has about 4,500 staff members, and 75% voted on the offer.

“We can’t accept a deal that cuts conditions, sends pay backwards against inflation, and refuses to rule out replacing ABC journalists with AI bots,” said Michael Slezak of the journalists’ union, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA).

Disruptions are “inevitable” unless ABC puts a “fair offer” on the table, said Jocelyn Gammie of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU).

“The last thing union members want to do is inconvenience loyal ABC audiences by disrupting programming and services, but key bargaining claims remain unresolved,” she said.

ABC recently proposed a new offer.