Referring to it as “extraordinary,” the Corporation has called on the Minister of Labour to reject the Canadian Media Guild’s call for the appointment of a conciliation commissioner. The Guild wants a neutral third party to be in a position to comment publicly on the status of our negotiations with the CBC.

Our way would allow the conciliation report to be made public. The CBC’s request for a conciliation officer would not.

The Corporation claims such appointment would “prolong bargaining” and would result in a “far more legalistic procedure.” These claims are not supported by the Labour Code, which allows the minister to appoint a commissioner without changing the time lines for reporting.

The Guild bargaining committee believes an open process will make the parties work harder to get an agreement and is appropriate, given the possibility of a major work stoppage.

In the end, it is up to the minister to decide what type of conciliator is appointed. We will respect that decision and will work hard toward a negotiated collective agreement.

As always, we welcome your questions and comments. You can reach us (guild@interlog.com) at 416-591-5333 or 1-800-465-4149.

Your bargaining committee:
Arnold Amber, Toronto
Pierre Claveau, Vancouver
Brendan Elliott, Charlottetown
Percy Hatfield, Windsor
Joe Hill, Toronto
Wendy Hunt, Toronto
Gerry Jones, Regina
Barbara Saxberg, Toronto
Lee Siemon, Toronto
Chris Turner, Fredericton
Rick Warren, Vancouver
Dan Oldfield, Senior CMG staff representative