Negotiations between the Canadian Media Guild and the CBC bogged down further this week. The situation was made worse by recent proposals tabled by the Corporation that we can only view as hostile to employees.

A particularly troubling example was the CBC’s attempt on hiring and promotion that lacks the provisions we think necessary to ensure a fair and open process. According to the CBC proposal, you could accept a promotion, only to find yourself out of work within three months. That’s because the Corporation wants to be able to lay off an employee whose promotion hasn’t – for whatever reason – worked out during the ninety-day trial period. We believe the trial period should serve the employee as well as the corporation. If it doesn’t work out, you should have the option of going back to your previous position, or at least a similar one, in a process that creates the least disruption for everyone.

The CBC has also rejected the Guild’s approach to hiring and promotion, which favours the hiring of long-time temporary employees into vacant permanent positions and enhances promotion opportunities for existing employees.

This week, we put forward language to clarify the current provisions around transfer and relocation. Right now, the CBC makes a distinction between moving an employee to a different city and moving a job. We think that distinction is meaningless since, at the end of the day, an employee is affected. In every case, we want the CBC to make efforts to avoid forcing employees to move against their wishes.

The CBC also turned down the Guild’s proposal for a full examination of all forms of compensation to ensure they measure up against the goals of the federal pay equity legislation. The law is designed to guarantee that men and women are paid equally for the same type of work. We will provide more details on this important issue in the next few weeks.

We are frustrated with the lack of success at clearing issues from the bargaining table. A large number of very important articles remain unresolved.

We now take a two-week break from the talks. We have scheduled seven weeks of bargaining beginning after Easter. Our aim is to get real movement on the issues most important to our members.

Please feel free to get in touch with us with any questions or concerns at guild@interlog.com or by calling 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 Staff Representative, CMG