Dancers of The Australian Ballet are poised to strike after negotiations with TAB management over pay stalled over inflation-linked pay increases.

In a recent ballot (conducted 26 April) overseen by the Fair Work Commission, 91% of the company’s dancers voted in favour of taking protected industrial action, which began last week with a social media campaign highlighting the cost-of-living issues dancers face.

Benedicte Bemet and Joseph Caley in The Australian Ballet’s Jewels. Photo © Rainee Lantry

Pay negotiations began in September 2022 and in February 2023, dancers received a 4.3% “catch-up” pay increase. As part of that deal, TAB management sought to remove a decades-old clause linking dancers’ pay to Consumer Price Index (CPI) increases. In its place, dancers were offered a pay rise of 1% for the rest of 2023.

Inflation rose by 1.4% in the March 2023 quarter alone and is currently running at more than 7% annually.

“Throughout negotiations dancers at every level of the company have told management of their serious concerns about their financial insecurity, with many describing how they live from pay cheque to pay cheque,” said Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance Equity Director Michelle Rae,...