Actors' strike threatens Aussie soaps

Popular Australian soap operas like Neighbours and Home and Away could be thrown into chaos by a looming nation-wide strike by actors, a union official said today.

Performers from the casts of all Australian television productions voted unanimously in a telephone link-up late yesterday to walk off the job for at least one day, and to refuse weekend work.

The decision follows months of negotiations with employers over new contracts. Actors are demanding better pay and more certainty about the duration of contracts.

Simon Whipp, the equity division director of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, said the strike was likely to take place next week.

“There are main cast members on ongoing television dramas who earn less than (national) average weekly earnings and they are the best-paid performers in our industry,” Mr Whipp said.

“They’re earning the same or less than what they were earning 10 years ago.”

The average weekly wage in Australia is about 865 Australian dollars (€505).

Geoff Brown, executive director of the Screen Producers Association of Australia, said the strike would be most disruptive to daily series such as Neighbours and Home and Away, possibly delaying on-air dates.

But he said if producers conceded to all the union’s demands it could force some shows to close permanently.

“The last thing my members ever want is to have a strike with actors and we’ve tried desperately to avoid that,” Mr Brown said. “But when you’re looking at the sorts of measures they’re proposing, you’d probably go out of business if you agreed.”