Wage wars roll on at ABC, Ten

Journalists at two major Australian news outlets are demanding generous annual pay rises of 6 per cent.

Ten Network chief content officer Beverley McGarvey. Picture: James Croucher

Journalists at two major Australian media outlets are fighting for annual pay rises of six per cent however have so far been offered significantly less by their employers.

Employees at Network Ten are demanding six per cent pay rises per annum over the next three years and no cuts to existing entitlements including redundancy payouts and sick leave, however this was last week rejected by management.

ABC staff are maintaining demands for a similar wage rise.

A spokesman for the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance said Ten has offered staff a pay rise of 2.5 per cent annum over four years but an overwhelmingly majority of union members at the Paramount-owned network – 75 per cent – recently voted “no” to this offer.

A Network Ten spokeswoman said: “We continue to constructively engage with employees in the current EBA negotiations and will continue to communicate directly with our staff as we work towards a resolution”.

The ABC salary negotiations – which were recently taken over by managing director David Anderson – are continuing.

Staff at the national broadcaster want annual wage increases of six per cent – 18 per cent in total over three years. Last week, management increased its offer of 10.5 per cent over three years to 11 per cent over the same period.

ABC employees were originally planning a 40-minute strike last Tuesday but called this off after management put its revised offer on the table, although it has yet to be voted on by staff.

Staff have also been offered a $1500 sign-on bonus and back pay backdated to October 1, with wage increases of 4 per cent in the first and second years, and 3 per cent in the third year.

The three-year agreement would run from October 2022 through until October 2025.

The ABC declined to comment.