Nine management opens offers for Fairfax ACM group
A union delegation from regional ACM mastheads is convening along with representatives from the Canberra Times, the Illawarra Mercury and the Newcastle Herald to ensure all levels of the business – metro, regional daily and country non-daily – have their views represented as Nine Publishing puts the Fairfax regional mastheads up for sale.
MEAA continues to hold concerns about what a change of ACM group ownership will mean for independent journalism, for the future of Fairfax’s 160 community, regional and rural publications around Australia, and for the jobs and conditions of Fairfax regional employees.
MEAA Media director Katelin McInerney said: “It is vital at this time that union members have a strong, cohesive voice that represents the views of all mastheads. A union delegation from all regional ACM mastheads is being convened, and will join with representatives from the Canberra Times, the Illawarra Mercury, Newcastle Herald to ensure all levels of the business – metro, regional daily and country non-daily – have their views represented.
“Journalists are stronger together. We are united in the fight to protect: newsrooms, the number of journalists on the ground and decent working conditions. Journalists at these publications want to continue doing the job the job their communities expect: inform the community and tell their stories, be a voice for readers, hold power to account, have the time and editorial commitment to report without fear or favour,” McInerney said.
As with the Nine takeover, MEAA is calling on all any potential new owners to invest in reporting and newsrooms at a time when maintaining already reduced journalist numbers on the ground is pivotal to maintaining scrutiny of local authorities and business interests in an election year.
As such, MEAA is demanding the same thing of any new owners of the ACM group of newspapers that we did of Nine CEO Hugh Marks when the merger was first announced:
- Job security — preserving current levels of employment.
- Enterprise agreements — honouring the current Fairfax EBAs.
- Editorial independence — committing to the Fairfax Media Charter of Editorial Independence.
You can read the original statement and download the original letter sent to Nine CEO Hugh Marks here.
