The letter from Dennis Skulsky, president and CEO of Canwest publishing, was couriered today to Lois Kirkup, president of the Ottawa Newspaper Guild. It is believed similar letters are being sent to other union leaders at Canwest newspapers.

Skulsky writes that a five-per-cent wage cut for all staff would result in $20 million in savings in a year. "It could well be the difference between a creditor protection process or not," the letter says.
 
"We are urging Canwest to provide complete financial information and, if it does, we would be open to further discussions," says Arnold Amber, Director of CWA Canada, which represents members at five major Canwest newspapers.

"The suggestion in the letter that somehow our union is unwilling to engage in talks is simply not true. We have met several times this year, and we've underlined the need to have access to real financial data in order to have meaningful talks."
 
"The focus of any talks now should be how to ensure that the newspapers we work for succeed in their cities," Amber says. "We know just from the numbers that have been made public that five per cent wage concessions are not going to go far in solving Canwest's overall debt, so we need to take a broader view of the problem at hand."

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact: