Set an out of office reply on your work email telling your contacts why you’re taking industrial action. Set it to go to both internal and external contacts.

Here is a guide to help:

“I’ll likely be a little slow to reply to this email, because my ABC colleagues and I are participating in industrial action.

I love working for the ABC because [something about why the ABC is important, why the stories of your community are important] and I work extremely hard to [tell those stories/create great content/celebrate Australian music/etc.]

But my colleagues and I are struggling to continue that work, because our jobs are insecure and unsustainable.

[personal anecdote about how insecure work and low pay impact you or your team. e.g. we keep losing great talent because our pay doesn’t increase in line with experience and responsibilities, short-term contracts don’t allow me to secure suitable housing or support my family, staff are not feeling valued or respected]

We're taking industrial action today to call on ABC management to provide us with an offer in Enterprise Bargaining that provides quality jobs, so we can deliver the quality news and content Australians rely on.”

You should expect to lose the pay you would have received for the shift you would have performed during the period of a 24 hour strike.

MEAA has Journalist Benevolent Funds in some states which can provide financial assistance to members, and MEAA launch a fundraiser on Wednesday that members can chip in to support people such as casuals and cadets who are in financial distress.

While we’re of the view that you should not be obligated to disclose union membership to your employer, in this instance we have safety in numbers. Over 1200 ABC staff are MEAA members and CPSU has a lot of members too. We see no issue with you letting your manager know you won't be working during the strike, you’re in good company!!

Industrial actions are tactics that union members participate in to try to pressure an outcome from employers. They might include stopping all work (strikes), refusing to do some work (partial work bans), speaking publicly and on social media about workplace issues, or altering the way you do your work. At certain times during enterprise bargaining, if you apply and ballot for particular actions, they are “protected” so you can’t get into trouble.

To be protected during periods of industrial action, you must be a financial member of the union taking action (that is, MEAA).

Members decide on what actions take place and when. Organisers will meet with staff in bureaus or online to discuss what will be most effective. No action will take place without the collective endorsement of the affected staff.

If your action is protected under the Act, your employer cannot discipline or sack you for it. There are some actions your employer can take in response to industrial action, primarily a “lockout” refusing access to the workplace. This is a rare and significant escalation that no media employer has taken against journalists in recent history.

We have 30 days from the time the ballot results are announced to take each action for the first time, then we can continue to take that action until we reach agreement or the Fair Work Commission places other orders. We can apply once for an extra 30-day extension on any actions we did not take within the first 30 days.