|
26 January 2005
CBC employee told to accept
temporary assignment
or quit
Canadian
Media Guild | TNG Canada
Local 30213
Permanent employees facing layoff can either accept a temporary
job at the CBC or quit and give up their rights under the
collective agreement, according to a new move by CBC management.
Days before Christmas, the CBC advised a 16-year employee
from Unit 3 that her position was redundant. She was then
told that she had to accept a temporary job, or resign and
give up her layoff rights, including pay. On top of that,
the Corporation is taking the view that she does not have
the right to union representation in meetings with management
about her reassignment.
“This is a huge step backward in our dealings with
management on layoffs,” says Guild representative Glenn
Gray. “In the past, we’ve worked well together
in dealing with layoffs and it is distressing that the CBC’s
new position comes from the most senior levels of its Human
Resources department.”
The CBC cannot unilaterally take
away employees’ rights
to layoff provisions in the agreement. The Guild has filed
both a grievance and a complaint with the Canada Industrial
Relations Board.
The contract allows an employee in a redundant position
a number of options: accept lay-off, pursue reassignment
to a vacant position through the union/management employment
committee, or exercise displacement rights. The contract
also gives management discretion to allow the employee to
take a temporary assignment and defer the displacement process
if he or she so desires.
(This story first appeared on the Canadian
Media Guild web site.)
|