The CBC is going around our collective agreement as it moves ahead with a plan to contract out communications work done by Canadian Media Guild members. Not only did the Corporation fail to notify the union that it was changing work methods and practices, which it must do according to Article 9, but it is resisting following the provisions that allow for retraining, relocation and reassignment of employees whose work has been contracted out (Article 104).

The CBC developed its business case for giving our work to others in secret. Then the Corporation made the announcement about its contracting out plan with disregard for the adverse effects on employees.

There is a better way
The Guild’s approach would see communications employees first given an opportunity for retraining, reassignment and/or relocation, before layoffs are even considered. This process should be done through the National Joint Employment Committee. In the meantime, all vacancies across the country ? permanent, contract and temporary ? must be frozen. Only when all efforts at creative re-deployment have been exhausted, should layoffs proceed. The Guild put its case to management at National Joint Employment Committee meetings on April 25 and 29, emphasizing the importance of moving quickly to get the procedures in place to assist the affected employees. The Corporation is refusing to honour the provisions in the Collective Agreement as they relate to contracting out and has rejected most of the union’s proposals. The union will continue to push its proposals at meetings of the National Joint Employment Committee, which will be held at least weekly for the foreseeable future.

The Guild has also convened its own team to help members affected by contracting out.

The Guild questions CBC’s business plan for contracting out
The Guild is attending a meeting with senior CBC management to discuss the Corporation’s “business plan” for contracting out communications work. The union has already raised serious questions about the plan with senior management and the board and is particularly concerned by the lack of a documented analysis comparing the costs of keeping the work in-house with the cost of contracting out. In addition, the Guild has written a letter to the Federal Minister of Labour to draw attention to the extent of planned layoffs at the CBC and to highlight concerns about how the Corporation is proceeding with them.

Your National Joint Employment Committee