Nine’s newspaper journalists will strike across the first weekend of the Paris Olympics unless a deal can be struck in crunch talks with management.

Editorial staff at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, Brisbane Times and WA Today will stop work for five days from Friday if the company doesn’t bring an improved deal to the table.

The journalists’ union, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, said more than 90 per cent of Nine’s union members voted in favour of the strike.

As the union announced the planned strike, Nine boss Mike Sneesby was photographed carrying the Olympic torch through the streets of a town just outside Paris.

The Australian reported that Sneesby, who is Nine’s managing director and chief executive, was mobbed by excited French locals as he walked and then jogged with the Olympic flame. He was photographed with children and one woman even snatched a quick kiss of the torch.

Nine paid a reported $305 million for the broadcast rights to five Olympic Games. The first is Paris, which opens on Friday.

Rather than enjoying himself carrying the Olympic torch in France, Nine boss Mike Sneesby should be in Australia to sort out a new EBA for journalists in the company’s publishing division. https://t.co/Odu4lpOVqW #MEAAmedia

— MEAA (@withMEAA) July 23, 2024

Back in Australia, the MEAA said Nine’s latest offer delivered a pay rise that did not keep pace with inflation and there was no agreement on a diversity pay audit or quotas.

Workers wanted a pay rise of at least 20 per cent over three years. The company had offered an increase of up to 3 per cent each year over that period.

“The company’s pay offer fails to acknowledge cost-of-living pressures and management has not dealt with other claims from journalists including a genuine commitment to better workplace gender and cultural diversity, improvements to grade progression and protection through consultation in relation to AI,” the union said on Monday.

“These mastheads are strong financial performers and have a reputation for award-winning journalism, and Nine needs to invest in its editorial front line ahead of its financial bottom line.”

The MEAA said the dispute came against a backdrop of job cuts and the company giving multimillion-dollar payouts to “misbehaving” senior executives.

“Members’ anger is white hot that the job cuts will fall disproportionately upon the publishing division, which is profitable and productive,” it said.

A Nine spokeswoman said management planned to meet union representatives on Wednesday, when the company would “continue to negotiate in good faith with the bargaining committee”.

Nine announced in June it would make 200 positions redundant across its broadcast, print and digital divisions.

The announcement followed downbeat half-yearly financial figures released in February showing a big drop in company-wide earnings, including from its publishing division.

Earlier in June, former federal treasurer Peter Costello resigned as Nine’s chair after being accused of a physical altercation with a News Corp journalist at Canberra Airport.

Video of the incident appeared to show him knocking over the journalist after being confronted with questions about alleged sexual harassment by senior staff at Nine.

Costello denied assaulting the journalist, saying the reporter fell after backing into an advertising placard.

-with AAP