Staff at all mastheads walk off the job in protest at the downgrading of photographic and other departments

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Fairfax Media has threatened to sack journalists who have gone on strike in protest at the company's plans to make 80 journalists redundant.



An email to all staff from Allen Williams, managing director of Australian Publishing Media, said the strike was "unlawful" and, if journalists went on strike, the company would "consider disciplinary action … which may include the possibility of termination of your employment".



Williams said there was "no difference between participating in an unlawful strike and simply not attending work without a proper reason".



More than 600 staff from the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age have gone on strike for 24 hours after Fairfax Media management announced another 80 jobs were to be cut without any consultation.

Staff at the Newcastle Herald, Illawarra Mercury, the Canberra Times and some at the Financial Review also walked out, while the journalists at the online Brisbane Times said they would not make their copy available to the print mastheads.



The last time Fairfax staff went on strike was when 160 journalists lost their jobs in 2012. Wednesday’s announcement has angered the newsrooms, primarily because it means a dramatic downgrading of the picture department from 50 photographers to just 20, staff say.



The journalists are furious at plans to outsource the acclaimed Fairfax Media photographic department to the US agency Getty Images.



The chairman of the Fairfax Media house committee, journalist Stuart Washington, told Guardian Australia the way management handled the announcement was appalling, giving long-standing employees no notice and not consulting the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance.



At a stopwork meeting on Wednesday afternoon in Sydney, journalists voted 159-1 to walk off the job for 24 hours, putting the production of the newspapers in serious jeopardy. A similar meeting was held at the Age in Melbourne.



“We were not consulted about the changes that affected the livelihood of the staff,” Washington said. “We know the business is tough but we are questioning the way they have treated the long-term employees.

“There are photographers who have given their life’s work to Fairfax Media. Where will readers go for the quality photographs, [such as those] of the Blue Mountains bushfires?”

One of the Herald’s high-profile reporters, investigative journalist Kate McClymont, tweeted: “Fairfax Media on strike for 24 hours over slashing numbers of photographic and other staff. Sorry folks, that means no tweeting from #icac.”



The company said in a statement on Wednesday night that it was "disappointed that some journalists have chosen to take this unlawful action".



"The company had commenced a meaningful consultation process about the proposed changes and has planned further briefings with affected employees and their representatives," the statement said.



Fairfax said that "some journalists" from The Age, The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Canberra Times, The Newcastle Herald and The Illawarra Mercury were taking "unprotected industrial action".



"The company will continue to publish across print and digital as usual.

