AFL denies Media Unit unionisation

[The_Wookie]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/med...tration-or-media/story-e6frg996-1227010087256

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance said today editorial staff employed by AFL Media had asked the union to negotiate a collective agreement when the sports body decided to create AFL Media in 2011 but the response had been “disappointing”.

“They negotiate collectively with their umpires, they encourage collective bargaining with the players,” MEAA Victorian secretary Louise Connor said. “It’s not good enough that, when it comes to this group of employees, AFL management won’t meet with them as a collective but is telling them they’re better off on individual contracts.”

AFL chief executive officer Gillon McLachlan told radio station 3AW there were 100 people in the AFL Media unit, including an additional 30-40 journalists hired when the unit was expanded to offer its own comprehensive digital coverage of the sport.

“There’s a bit of chat going down there,” Mr McLachlan said. “I think there’s some teething pains about bringing some editorial staff into a different environment.”

https://www.alliance.org.au/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.
Louise Connor, MEAA’s Victorian secretary, said the union was approached by employees when the AFL decided to create AFL Media.

“We’ve 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.”

 

[bigleague]

You have to admire the contradiction of the afl to claim AFL Media are journalists, but because they work for a sports organisation, rather than a news outlet, they should be covered by sports administration awards instead of journalist and published media awards. Yet the AFL are trying to convince the public they are real journalists capable of reporting objectively on the AFL.

 

[The_Wookie]

You have to admire the contradiction of the afl to claim AFL Media are journalists, but because they work for a sports organisation, rather than a news outlet, they should be covered by sports administration awards instead of journalist and published media awards. Yet the AFL are trying to convince the public they are real journalists capable of reporting objectively on the AFL.

The league says that out of 120 staff, only 60 or so have asked for the collective bargaining. Its refusing on the basis of it being a minority of staff.

 

[The_Wookie]

http://www.afr.com/p/lifestyle/sport/afl_caught_in_union_dispute_Na4D7Nn3ME5MsTzS9y7OrK

In an email to AFL staff seen by the Financial Review, Mr Campbell said the league “considers that enterprise bargaining for a discrete group within AFL Media is not appropriate and that the current system of individual negotiation of terms and conditions of employment works well”.

 

[The_Wookie]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/union-takes-afl-to-fair-work-commission-20141013-115e59.html

The AFL argues in commission documents that the application should be dismissed, saying the MEAA has "cherry-picked" rather than fairly chosen employees to be covered by its proposed workplace agreement. The 64 employees were among about 120 at AFL Media, and their jobs covered only 29 of the 72 possible positions.