After today’s crushing news that Fairfax Media would be making up to 120 redundancies to its editorial team, management has delivered another devastating blow.
After the announcement was unveiled via a company-wide email, staff in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra voted in favour in striking in protest of ‘quality journalism’ and the proposal to make a huge amount of the newsroom redundant.
.@smh staff vote to stand up for quality journalism + strike over redundancy proposal pic.twitter.com/oRKtQx3N6V
— Adrian Nesbitt (@Nez72) March 17, 2016
The employees will be striking until Monday, leaving Fairfax high and dry over the weekend.
Why Fairfax journos at SMH are on strike. Senior journalist Anne Davies addresses the media.#fairgofairfax pic.twitter.com/IGo5PauyST
— Simon Morris (@Videonewseditor) March 17, 2016
Fairfax released a statement to media about the strike, saying that they “will continue to publish across print and digital as usual”.
After this, according to mUmbrella, another company-wide email was sent by Fairfax’s editorial director Sean Aylmer, saying that the strike was ‘unlawful’, and that the striking journalists would have their pay docked:
“Today, after we announced a proposal to reduce costs across News and Business in Sydney and Melbourne, some journalists took strike action following authorised stop work meetings.This strike action is unlawful. When employees take unlawful industrial action we have no choice but to dock their pay.”
He also told staff that they should not “feel pressured” to take part in the strike, and that he was “disappointed” in the industrial action.
Loyalty of hardworking staff has again been “rewarded” with job cuts. Share if you care. #fairgofairfax #MEAAmedia pic.twitter.com/gUXGRFEwVQ
— MEAA (@withMEAA) March 17, 2016
Source: mUmbrella.
Photo: Adrian Nesbitt / Twitter.
