ABC Staff Launch 24-Hour Strike Over Pay and Conditions

More than 1,000 staff at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation walked off the job Wednesday in the broadcaster's first major strike in two decades, protesting a rejected pay offer and demanding better job security and working conditions.

The 24-hour industrial action, coordinated by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and the Community and Public Sector Union, began at 11 a.m. AEDT and is set to end at the same time Thursday. It affects operations across ABC's radio, television and digital platforms nationwide, with staff halting work at bureaus in cities including Sydney and Melbourne. Large gatherings of participants are expected outside ABC offices during the stoppage.

The strike stems from the rejection of management's latest enterprise bargaining agreement proposal by about 60 percent of voting staff. The offer included a 3.5 percent pay increase in the first year, 3.25 percent in each of the following two years, and a one-time $1,000 bonus for ongoing and fixed-term employees. Unions argued the deal falls short of the 3.8 percent inflation rate recorded in January and fails to address broader concerns, such as reducing reliance on short-term contracts, improving...