Staff at Nine Entertainment have passed a motion of no-confidence in chief executive Mike Sneesby, following his announcement that 200 jobs would be cut from the company. The motion was passed on Friday afternoon, and staff are preparing to take industrial action.
Sneesby blamed the job losses on 'economic headwinds' facing the media and the end of a multimillion-dollar content deal with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. Up to 90 positions will go from legacy mastheads the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and the Australian Financial Review.
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) said the cuts added to a 'horror month for Australian journalism'. Nine staff on Friday authorised their union to prepare for a vote on protected industrial action. The company said 'tough decisions' would be made by mid-July to save $30m.
Nine's managing director of publishing, Tory Maguire, told journalists it was the first reduction in editorial headcount since 2017. The cuts come as Nine prepares for its Paris Olympics coverage, for which it paid $309m for exclusive rights to the next five Olympic Games.
