According to a statement released by MEAA, Bauer Media had recently completed its acquisition of Pacific Magazines, which had 160 employees. Following this acquisition, Bauer Media quickly moved to managing redundancies.
The statement further mentions that, Bauer Media, being a foreign-owned company, is not eligible for JobKeeper allowance. In light of the recent events, the employees who have been stood down, now need to enquire about their eligibility for the JobKeeper allowance.
Australia's media industry continues to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic which has caused a significant decline in advertising revenue and led to a number of businesses, including Bauer, to cut costs.
MEAA said: “It is a particularly cruel and callous way to treat people. Yesterday was the first day on the job at Bauer for the former Pacific Magazines’ employees. It came after months of uncertainty after the acquisition was first announced in October last year.”
IFJ said: “It is important to treat issues such as job losses with utmost consideration for the employees, especially in challenging times. The IFJ condemns the way the situation was handled by Bauer Media.”