Journalists from The SMH, The Age and AFR strike on eve of Olympics

Hundreds of staff from Nine newspapers have started strike action ahead of the Olympic Opening Ceremony as part of a five-day strike after their pay demands were rejected.

Journalists from the The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review ceased work at 11am, including those deployed to Paris.

The strike relates to a pay dispute.

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) claims the latest offer from Nine management still fails to include a fair pay rise that keeps ahead of the cost of living and has been rejected by its members.

The strike also comes after Nine announced last month a redundancy round in its publishing division.

Nine chief executive Mike Sneesby in an email to staff said "it goes without saying" the company was "profoundly disappointed" by the strike action.

He said while management recognised the right of unions to take industrial action, it believed a return to the negotiating table offered the best solution.

"We are committed to continuing to work in good faith with the MEAA and bargaining committees to deliver a new agreement that is fair and supports a sustainable future for the Publishing business."

A Nine spokesperson said comprehensive plans were in place to ensure the production and distribution of Nine Publishing mastheads would not be impacted.

Nine, the publisher of Nine newspapers, is also the publisher of this website.