Freelance journalists are calling on Nine Publishing to deliver on a commitment given during recent enterprise bargaining to negotiate standard rates and conditions for freelancers.
The union for Australian journalists, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, has today written to management at Nine Publishing to commence negotiations.
This will mark the first direct negotiation between management and freelancers in the history of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, Brisbane Times and WAtoday.
The acting Director of MEAA Media, Michelle Rae, said Nine committed to negotiate with freelancers as part of the deal which ended industrial action in July.
"Freelancers and in-house journalists stood side by side during the five-day strike in July and this joint solidarity secured a landmark commitment from management to negotiate a freelance agreement," she said.
"Now that enterprise bargaining is out of the way, Nine must follow through on that commitment by sitting down with freelancers to negotiate pay and conditions.
"Media organisations in Australia increasingly rely on freelancers to provide quality journalism to their readers, yet this growing cohort of the media workforce are the most vulnerable because of job insecurity, poor pay, and the lack of basic conditions like superannuation.
"As one of the largest employers of freelance journalists in Australia, Nine must provide respect and dignity to the freelancers who produce so much of the public interest journalism that readers rely on.
"Sitting down to negotiate is an important first step to ensuring the quality jobs needed to produce quality journalism.
"MEAA looks forward to forming a signed agreement with Nine publishing stipulating fair rates, annual rate increases, and other key conditions for freelance contributors."
