Last week, CMG met with CBC for the third week of meetings to improve the relationship between the union and management under an initiative that began last spring. The talks have focused on resolving key disputes that have persisted since the signing of the collective agreement in 2005.
After two weeks of talks in June and July, an agreement was reached on the principles for the hiring of temporary employees. That agreement is now being rolled out across the country and the union and management are evaluating how the new provisions are working.
This past week, we focused on provisions related to layoff and recall (workforce adjustment) as well as the hiring of contract employees. The Guild is aiming for layoff and recall provisions that ensure members have an opportunity to continue their employment at CBC in available work for which they are qualified. The two sides are also talking about concerns the CMG has raised about the way CBC has been engaging contract employees since 2005. We believe we are making progress in these discussions.
The Guild is represented by the recently selected members of the bargaining committee: Brendan Elliott, Annick Forest, Elaine Janes, Harry Mesh, John O’Connor, Chris Turner and Barbara Saxberg.. Our branch president, Marc-Philippe Laurin, and staff representatives Dan Oldfield and Glenn Gray are leading the team. Many members of the present bargaining committee also participated in the joint meetings earlier in the summer.
Representing CBC / Radio-Canada at the talks are George Smith, Fred Mattocks, Michel Hamelin, Elizabeth Dalzell, Brigid Lumholst-Smith, Ron Ouellette, Todd Spencer, Martin Marcotte, Tricia Frantsi Bhupsingh, Jim Rogers, Benoit Quenneville, and John Bertrand.
We are scheduled to meet again for the week of October 6 to continue discussions on workforce adjustment and contract employment before we move on to other important issues in subsequent weeks.
In the coming weeks, you will have the opportunity to participate in an online survey to identify key issues for the coming round of negotiations to renew our collective agreement at CBC. We really hope that you will take the time to answer and offer the Guild your suggestions for this round of bargaining.
The parties are hoping to renew the agreement before the current one expires on March 31, 2009.
For more information, contact the Guild (info@cmg.ca) at 416-591-5333 or 1-800-465-4149.