ABC staff in redundancy talks with management

ABC staff are already in consultation with management about the prospect of taking redundancies, with job cuts expected in July.

ABC staff have begun discussions with management about the prospect of redundancies Picture: AAP

ABC staff are already in consultation with management about the prospect of taking redundancies, with large-scale job cuts at the broadcaster expected in July.

The Australian understands that ABC staff across the organisation, including journalists in news and current affairs, have begun discussions with management about the prospect of redundancies as they await the final outcome of a large-scale review into staffing at the ABC.

The Australian has previously reported that up to 200 jobs could go as part of the five-year blueprint that was expected to be handed down in March but has since been pushed back to July as a result of COVID-19.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher recently asked ABC managing director David Anderson for ABC staff to accept a 2 per cent wage freeze for six months as part of cost-savings measures. Unions have rejected the move, arguing the minister doesn’t have the right to enforce such a freeze.

It is understood that reluctance to accept the freeze is in part because of what a 2 per cent wage rise could mean to those planning to take redundancies if they had been at the ABC for many years.

The Australian understands experienced editorial staff are among those in talks about the prospect of redundancies.

An ABC spokesman declined to comment when asked about the discussions.

The ABC board met late last week to discuss the prospect of the wage freeze as well as further staff cuts blamed on the federal government’s indexation of ­funding.