The Australian is reporting (subscription required) that redundancies are being touted by the ABC amid its stand-off with staff and unions over pay.
According to the Australian, ABC management has expressed the view that the higher the pay rise, the more cuts will have to be made elsewhere.
The latest offer to staff is for an 11 percent pay rise over three years, plus a one-off $1500 sign-on payment, but it is below the 18 per cent the Union is pushing for, as well as an increase in superannuation to 15.4 per cent.
Staff have until Wednesday to decide whether to accept the ABC’s latest pay offer.
... yep, same thing happened in the early 90s ... union pushed for raise and staff were warned about potential job losses ... staff got the raise, job losses followed ...
Sure the ABC is an important public service but not as important as people emploed in hospitals, ambulance and emergency services.
They would be very deserving of a pay rise especially during the peak of the covid outbreak. The politicians gave our public heroes congratulatory "lip service". Their pay rises were not as big as thosecworking for the ABC.
Specialisation in skills can be beneficial for those holding those skills. Being specialised means that one can command a higher wage.
But if those specialised skills can't be transferred to other industries, then one is faced with accepting a pay rise in that industry with the risk of losing your job.
One thing I find ironic about the ABC is when they do announce staff reductions due to budget restraints, there are new recruits appearing on air a few months later.
That happened with reductions in the news department with award winning veterans losing their job. A few months later, new faces appear on ABC News. On top of that new faces are continuing to appear on ABC News.
Then the ABC sells its remaining real estate on the North Shore of Sydney to fund recurring leases (rent) to pay for its expansion into Parramatta. That is fund real estate buy selling an asset to purchase a recuuring expense.
You wonder if the ABC know how to manage finances when they claim budgetary restrictions yet recruit new faces and splirge on recurrent expenses.
Thank you,
Anthony, don't believe the budgetary rhetoric that they have been peddling for decades, Belfield in the land of the Wangal and Darug Peoples of the Eora Nation
Hi Anthony,
I sort of disagree with you there. I think the Medicare system, like many Government initiatives, has become bloated and too expensive over the years. "Got a bit of a cold have we? Yeah, let's go spend three weeks in Hospital. I'm so lonely". That seems to be how it goes these days.
From the evidence I've seen, salaries at the ABC are quite disappointing. I also think the ABC tries to do too much. They should get back to their charter and their core business of broadcasting. The more they concentrate on their fundamental business and trimming the fat, the better they will be able to achieve what we like them to do.