Journos picket in Pyrmont
Fairfax journalists walked out of their Darling Island offices in Pyrmont last week to protest against the company’s decision to shed 550 workers. The job losses included 165 editorial positions and were not limited to Sydney, with workers in Melbourne, Wollongong, Newcastle and New Zealand also losing their jobs.
During the four-day strike, radio broadcaster and Sydney Morning Herald columnist Mike Carlton was sacked after he refused to file his weekly column. Fairfax management also used strike-breakers to publish The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review.
Greens MP Lee Rhiannon called on Fairfax Media executives to rethink the job cuts.
“Cutting 550 jobs is extreme,” Ms Rhiannon said. “This will seriously impact on the quality of Fairfax papers.”
On Sunday Fairfax Media abandoned its threats to lock out journalists, who returned to work the following day.
The Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance is also calling on Fairfax management to reinstate Mike Carlton.
