At least 50 temporary employees have been awarded permanent positions at the CBC since the lockout ended last October. Permanent jobs to perform ongoing work is a hard-won principle in our new collective agreement.

The CBC converted 18 people in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg who had 18 months of service as of October 5, 2005. The collective agreement says that temporary employees who have been in the same job in the same place for 18 continuous months will be converted to permanent status. The CBC has told the Guild that it is continuing to review the cases of other long-term temporary employees and we fully expect more conversions to come.

Meanwhile, Guild leaders across the country have worked to convert another 29 temporary employees to permanent status. They have examined situations where long-term temporaries are not backfilling absent employees, an effort that has so far resulted in the conversion of twenty-three temporary employees in Toronto, three in Vancouver, one in Regina and one in Halifax. As well, an employee in Calgary was converted from temporary to contract status. The reviews have also resulted in the posting of permanent jobs and, in Ottawa, three temporary employees won permanent status after applying for newly posted vacancies.

The CMG is urging local leaders to take a look at the use of temporary employees in their locations. Make sure that temporary employees are replacing absent staff members and that there are enough permanent employees at work or on leave to fill all of the positions on the schedules. If not, it is quite possible that permanent jobs should be posted and filled.

For more information, get in touch with Bruce May (bruce@cmg.ca) at 416-591-5333 or 1-800-465-4149.