AFR, SMH, Age staff reach wage deal after five-day strike

Nine Entertainment journalists, editors and production staff have voted to approve a new enterprise bargaining deal, ending a six-month stand-off that culminated in postponed events, diminished news coverage and the first strike at the mastheads since 2017.

At a meeting on Wednesday afternoon, members of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance agreed in principle to a new multi-year deal, including pay increases of 4 per cent, 3.75 per cent and 3.75 per cent over the three years from July 31, 2024. This offer was contingent on merging two pay schedules that treat subeditors and designers differently from reporters.