For more information contact: Louise Connor on 0438 241 211

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance - the people who inform and entertain


MEDIA RELEASE: 1/08/2014

AFLs disappointing response to EBA for media staff


The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) today confirmed that editorial staff members
employed by AFL Media have asked their union to negotiate a collective agreement on their
behalf.

MEAA is the union for workers in the media, entertainment and sports industries.

Louise Connor, MEAAs Victorian secretary, said the union was approached by employees when
the AFL decided to create AFL Media.

Weve had members working on various AFL media products for years, such as The AFL Record
and websites, but most of them were employed by other companies which had been contracted
by the AFL. The AFL made a decision to bring these workers plus more together to create AFL
Media and become their direct employer, she explained.

As AFL Media has developed, employees decided that they wanted more transparency and clarity
in how their wages and conditions are set, rather than being on individual contracts.

Ms Connor said the union was asking for a collective agreement for the editorial staff of AFL Media
because they had a number of issues that were common and best addressed in a collective
agreement.

As you can imagine, the editorial and related people work long and hard during the footy season.
Until last year, the AFL acknowledged that by giving them an extra weeks leave in the off-season.
That was unilaterally removed by management late last year.

We dont think the AFL is doing enough to compensate these people for the hard yards they put in
for two thirds of the year.

Ms Connor said she was disappointed with the AFL response.

They negotiate collectively with their umpires; they encourage collective bargaining with the
players; its not good enough that, when it comes to this group of employees, AFL management
wont meet with them as a collective but is telling them theyre better off on individual contracts.

MEAA has engaged law firm Maurice Blackburns to represent its members in hearings at the Fair
Work Commission to kick-start bargaining.