2UE breakfast presenter Mike Carlton has been sacked by the Sydney Morning Herald for refusing to write his weekly column during the current strike. It is under clear at this stage how the sacking will impact on his role with 2UE which is also owned by the Fairfax controlled SMH.

Carlton, a member of the journalists' union, the MEAA, took the stand on the grounds that filing the column amounted to crossing a picket line.

He told ABC Radio in Sydney off air that he could not discuss the situation on the ABC because of his contract with Fairfax Radio, which owns 2UE, where he does the breakfast show.

But ABC Radio said he had confirmed that he had been "let go" for not filing the column for the Saturday edition.

Fairfax Media staff in Sydney and Melbourne went on strike yesterday until Monday over the company's plans to cut 550 jobs.