Nine’s overtime review found staff left out of pocket at Sydney Morning Herald, Age, AFR, Brisbane Times and WAToday

Many staff at the media giant – left out of pocket by their employer over the past six years – will receive dues in the coming weeks with roster changes to fix the problem.

Nine's managing director of publishing James Chessell initiated the review. Picture: Dylan Coker

An extensive review into a six-year period of staff underpayment at Nine Entertainment has been finalised, with employees to be reimbursed over the next fortnight.

Many staff were left out of pocket by payment errors across the company’s major publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, the Brisbane Times and WAtoday.

As part of the review – which was undertaken by the company’s publishing division – Nine’s rosters will also be overhauled in a bid to prevent the same issues arising in the future. The underpayment affected salaries, superannuation and tax payments.

In a message sent to staff last week, Nine’s employee relations manager Michael Trafford confirmed that the underpayment review had been finalised.

“We are pleased to advise that we have finally completed the overtime review going back six years,” he wrote.

“As many of you will be aware, this project has involved a huge amount of work, particularly on behalf of the finance team who spent countless hours working through millions of data points and hired an additional two analysts to work on this project alone.

“In the coming period we will communicate to you individually regarding your personal situation and any back pay owing.”

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s Cassie Derrick said she was “pleased that there is resolution in sight over this long-running issue”.

“This issue originated after it was discovered that many staff who worked six shifts during a week had been underpaid,” she said. “We are still in discussions with Nine management about the number of employees affected and the amount they are owed, but expect to conclude the matter by the middle of December.

“All MEAA members who stood together collectively to demand action about their underpayment are to be congratulated.”

In May, Nine’s managing director of publishing, James Chessell, told staff in an email there would be a “review of all work performed across the Nine mastheads going back six years to identify if there were occasions where employees may have been entitled to overtime rates”.

“Any amounts owed will be back paid to employees and ex-employees,” he said at the time.

In September, Nine journalists agreed to a new workplace agreement that includes a 4 per cent pay rise for lower-paid staff in the first year and a 3.5 per cent increase in the second.

The company reported a 24 per cent rise in EBITDA for the 12 months to June 30 to $700.7m. Its chief executive, Mike Sneesby, in August warned that there would be greater economic uncertainty in the second half of this financial year as sentiment turned.

“Generally speaking in a high inflation environment, you would expect that to flow through into the advertising market,” he said.

Nine shares ended Monday down 3c, or 1.5 per cent, at $2.04.