Moment ABC staff walk out mid-broadcast

ABC staff have gone on strike mid-broadcast, with the normal program suspended for a period on ABC Radio National.

An eerily quiet radio broadcast has revealed the moment ABC staff walked off the job mid-show on Wednesday, despite seeming to cancel their industrial action a day earlier.

ABC staff who are members of the nation’s largest media union cancelled their plans to strike on Tuesday after striking a tentative pay deal, but members of another, smaller union went ahead with the ban on work.

Listeners who tuned in to ABC Radio National on Wednesday morning would have heard the bizarre moment the station’s hosts went on strike mid-broadcast.

Industrial action is taking place today. Picture: Supplied

The voice of host Patricia Karvelas — who was not on strike, but whose show was interrupted by office and production staff who were — did not hit the airwaves at 7am as expected.

Instead, a male voice said into the microphone: “Welcome to listeners on ABC Radio National, where normal program has been suspended due to protected industrial action by [Community and Public Sector Union] members over the pay and conditions dispute with the ABC.”

The broadcaster played standard news bulletins for an hour before normal programming returned.

Listeners would have been forgiven for assuming the ABC strike had been cancelled a day earlier, when members of the nation’s largest media union, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), called off their industrial action on Tuesday.

MEAA members called off the strike after announcing that ABC employees had reached a yet-to-be finalised agreement with management, which included an 11 per cent pay rise over three years and a $1500 sign-on bonus.

“Management has also agreed to conduct a transparent audit of the gender and [Culturally and Linguistically Diverse] pay gap, to fix the broken buyout system, and to put in place a new pathway for career progression for early and mid-career journalists,” MEAA media director Cassie Derrick said on Tuesday.

“Clearly, the threat of industrial action has helped to focus ABC’s management’s mind, as has the outpouring of support for our members from ABC viewers and listeners.”

ABC staff who are members of the smaller CPSU, however, confirmed they would press on with industrial action less than an hour before Wednesday’s 7am strike was set to go ahead.

Today, CPSU members at the ABC are taking industrial action for the first time in 17 years.

Union members are angry about management's approach to bargaining and the level of disrespect that union members have been shown. #ABC

— CPSU (@CPSUnion) March 21, 2023

“Union members are angry about management’s approach to bargaining and the level of disrespect that union members have been shown,” the CPSU said in a tweet.

“This has been a long and unnecessarily difficult bargain because of the approach of management, but our union is bigger and stronger because of it. Management’s union-busting efforts have not worked.

“Union members have fought every step of the way and have secured good wins throughout the process. And the ABC will be better for it.”

The strike was the members’ first in 17 years, the union said.

The CPSU doubled down on its perseverance with the strike shortly afterwards, accusing ABC management of “digging their heels in at every possible turn”.

The continuation with industrial action was due to management failing to meet two of the union’s key provisions, the CPSU said — ensuring ABC workers are not underpaid, and ensuring ABC workers are not assigned to a step on the pay scale that is below their actual duties.

“Unsurprisingly, they (management) refused to meet those demands in a way that will deliver tangible outcomes through the agreement,” the union said in a second tweet.

“Our members are angry about the way ABC management have approached the bargaining process, and the lack of respect they’ve demonstrated for unions and union members.”

ABC staff are reportedly being asked to come into the office wearing a red T-shirt, even if they work from home.

“It’s very Monty Python. We need to come into work to go on strike,” one internal source reportedly told rival broadcaster 2GB.

The CPSU primarily covers office and production staff, while journalists and presenters are more typically members of the MEAA. CPSU members at the ABC will strike for a second time on Wednesday, with another round of hour-long industrial action beginning at 3pm.