Journalists across Fairfax Media newspapers, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Canberra Times, WA Today and Brisbane Times, walked off the job at around 2.30pm today, and are planning to strike until Monday.
Staff are protesting planned job cuts across news and business in its Sydney and Melbourne newsrooms which would see the equivalent of 12.5% of newsroom positions axed.
In an email to staff following a stop work meeting, Sean Alymer, Fairfax Media editorial director, told staff: “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.”
Alymer said no staff should “feel pressured” to take industry action, stating he was “disappointed” in the industrial action.
The move by Fairfax Media to condemn the industrial action is not surprising with Fairfax Media taking similar action in previous industrial action.
