Stop-work performance delay will not be the last, unions warn

Delaying a recent performance by the Melbourne Orchestra amid ongoing enterprise bargaining negotiations, Arts Centre Melbourne workers are calling for employers to offer fair remuneration that supports living costs.

The stop-work was the first by Arts Centre Melbourne workers in decades, composed of members from the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) and colleagues from the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU).

According to MEAA deputy chief executive, Adam Portelli, “members of Arts Centre Melbourne have seen their wages go backwards in real terms over the past four years, with pay increases failing to keep up with inflation”.

“The state government’s offer of a 3 per cent increase doesn’t match cost-of-living increases, and families MEAA members – close to 40 per cent of whom are on the lowest pay band.

“It’s simple – we can’t have a thriving arts sector built on low wages and insecurity.”

Members are calling on management and the government to address the gap between inflation and the current wage offer in what is already a difficult operating environment, with almost 40 per cent of the workforce employed on the lowest pay band.

As recently reported, arts and entertainment workers are already facing increasingly tenuous employment opportunities.

The MEAA is also campaigning for “proper” funding for the Arts Centre Melbourne for fair remuneration and to ensure ongoing operation.

Portelli said: “This dispute is not only about wages. It is also about ensuring Arts Centre Melbourne remains a sustainable, properly staffed and world-class cultural institution."

Additional industrial action was announced in early September, with the union outlining three more stop-works set for 3, 4, and 5 September across the Theatres Building and Harmer Hall.

Portelli added: “Creative workers must be valued and recognised for the essential societal and economic role they play – and that means fair pay and conditions.”

“Without proper funding, it is workers and audiences who ultimately pay the price”.

Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make HR Leader a preferred news source on Google.