Radio, TV with skeleton news
Broadcasting journalists began a bare-bones news service on television and radio for the second time in two weeks at 6 p.m. yesterday, after they voted throughout New Zealand on Thursday to reintroduce a work-to-rule.
The journalists .have again decided to restrict
news and sports coverage to written reports as a protest against the Broadcasting Corporation’s refusal to entertain their 30 per cent wage increase claim. No taped or live segments are being broadcast on television or radio news and sports programmes, and television news and sports reports are not accompanied by pictures. Four special television programmes covering the Labour Party conference in Christchurch this week-end have been cancelled, and will be replaced by documentary and magazine programmes.
"Sport on One” on Saturday afternoon will be replaced by sports-related programmes, a comedy and a film, although there will still be coverage of the national netball championships in Wellington. “Sunday Grandstand” will be replaced by a film, and the “Sunday” current affairs programme will be replaced by a documentary. Regional news programmes this week will be replaced by magazine programmes, and “EyeWitness News” will include about 10 minutes of spoken news, followed by a short magazine programme.
The journalists’ wage claim includes a special electronic skills allowance, an allowance for providing their services seven days a week, and a recruitment and retention increase.
They are insisting that the allowance be paid to all broadcasting journalists, although a spokesman has said they would accept a “reasonable offer” below 30 per cent. The corporation has withdrawn its offer of 5 per cent to senior journalists only because of the work-to-rule. The corporation’s personnel director, Mr Reg Russ, said it would reconsider the offer once the action was stopped.
“There is no doubt that this is a strike,” he said. “We are most concerned that journalists have decided to take action halfway through a wage round, but we will have to grin and bear it.”
The dispute should be taken to the Public Sector Tribunal, he said. The journalists would be paid as long as they arrived at work and did “some sort of work,” said Mr Russ. Suspension of employees was not being considered at this stage, although it could be considered later.
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Press, 31 August 1985, Page 1
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374Radio, TV with skeleton news Press, 31 August 1985, Page 1
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