Coronavirus Australia: ABC staff reject COVID-19 pay freeze

ABC workers have voted against deferring an imminent pay rise after the Morrison government urged the public broadcaster to freeze increases.

ABC chair Ita Buttrose. Picture: Supplied

ABC staff have voted against deferring an imminent pay rise after the Morrison government urged the public broadcaster to freeze increases to show solidarity with other public servants making ­sacrifices during the COVID-19 recession.

The Australian understands 80 per cent of employees voted against varying their enterprise agreement to delay a 2 per cent rise and fall into line with core government departments and dozens of agencies that have ­accepted a six-month deferral for wage rises.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher told The Australian he had hoped ABC employees would show solidarity with the rest of the media sector and other public servants that had opted to delay wage increases because of the pandemic.

“We felt it would have been a fine gesture of solidarity with those across the media sector who have been doing it much tougher than the ABC,” he said.

“It is evident from the results of today’s vote that ABC staff did not share this view.”

Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ben Morton said the result was out of line with public expectations and an affront to public servants who had worked hard during the pandemic but were subject to a six-month deferral on wage increases.

“It has always been the government’s expectation that the temporary wage increase deferral we announced in April is applied equally to all agencies in the commonwealth public sector,” he said. “Today’s result disrespects the public servants who have had the deferral of wage increases applied to them, as well as their colleagues in the broader media sector.”

Evan Mulholland, director of communications at the Institute of Public Affairs, blasted the ABC decision, saying the move was proof the public broadcaster was “completely removed from mainstream Australia”.

“Staff members at our national broadcaster now consider themselves morally superior and more worthy of a 2 per cent pay rise than staff at Services Australia, Centrelink, the Department of Health and the Department of Social Services, who have all been on the frontline of the response to this pandemic, and have all taken a six-month pay freeze.”

In May Mr Fletcher wrote to the ABC, saying the government expected the ABC to investigate all options to pause wages in line with other government agencies.

In an email this month to staff, ABC chair Ita Buttrose said “the minister asked us to consider the current situation across the media industry and the challenges other media organisations face, along with the Australian community, due to the exceptional economic consequences caused by COVID-19”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison with ABC chair Ita Buttrose.

Rebekah Donaldson, chief people officer at the ABC, wrote to staff on Wednesday to say she respected the decision and employees would see the increase in their October pay packet.

The public sector union had urged staff to reject the pay freeze, advising members they deserved the $5m in pay rises due next month.

Publicly funded agencies taking a pay freeze include the Department of Health, Services Australia and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.