Reporters from Honderd Negen Kranten are laying down their work on the eve of the Olympic Games in Paris.
Journalists working for the company’s major media outlets will begin a five-day strike at 11 a.m. on Friday over a long-running pay dispute.
Reporters from The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review, WAToday and the Brisbane Times are taking part in the strike.
The strikes begin just hours before the Games’ opening ceremony on Friday evening.
Nine has acquired exclusive broadcast rights to the world’s biggest sporting event as part of a $305 million deal that has been extended to the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane.
Talks over annual salaries between Nine management and union representatives from the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) broke down on Thursday.
Nine offered staff an annual pay rise of 3.5 percent in a desperate bid to stop the strikes, news.com.au defeated.
Several employees told the publication that reporters were frustrated because pay increases did not keep pace with the cost of living.
Channel Nine has suffered another blow as reporters from its biggest newspapers went on strike for five days from Friday over a pay dispute (pictured Karl Stefanovic and Nine Entertainment CEO Mike Sneesby in Paris this week)
Editors of newspapers and websites that are not publishers have to use content from international publishers this weekend due to the outage.
The change is expected to apply for the entirety of next week.
Nine Publishing CEO Tory Maguire called an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the matter.
The revised pay agreement follows a two percent pay increase for the publishing house’s staff.
About 90 percent of MEAA member reporters rejected the deal.
Wage increases had been under negotiation for several months before Nine Entertainment CEO Mike Sneesby announced job cuts last month.
About 200 jobs are expected to be cut from the 5,000-employee nationwide team as part of a $30 million cost-cutting plan for the company.
The layoffs will also eliminate 90 jobs at the company’s publishing division.
The layoffs affect positions at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review.
The job cuts also affect 38 roles at the leading news and current affairs broadcaster, which includes Nine News and 60 Minutes.
The strikes come as the company prepares to cut about 200 jobs as part of a $30 million cost-cutting plan (pictured is the Channel Nine Olympics broadcast team)
A Nine spokesperson said measures have been taken to minimise disruption to its services as a result of the strike.
“There are extensive plans in place to ensure the production and distribution of Nine Publishing’s mastheads are not compromised and that our readers continue to have access to unparalleled coverage of the Paris Olympics,” the spokesperson said.
‘Nine recognises the rights of unions to strike, but believes a return to the negotiating table is the best way to advance the EBA (Enterprise Bargaining Agreement)’.
The spokesperson said the revised salary package was a fair offer and the company was keen to resume negotiations as soon as possible.
Reporters from Nine’s main newsrooms (pictured) are apparently unhappy that pay rises have not kept pace with the cost of living.
Employees are also said to be angry about the limited protection against the use of artificial intelligence in newsrooms.
Michelle Rae, media director at the MEAA, said staff deserve a significant pay rise.
“Journalists have asked for a modest pay rise in line with the CPI after forgoing a pay rise during COVID,” Ms Rae said.
“It is completely unacceptable that the company is asking workers to choose between a modest pay increase and the possibility of further job losses.”
