15 December 2006

TNG Canada/CWA, staff unions
reach agreement on contracts

TNG Canada and its two staff unions have reached agreement in principle on new contracts which end almost one month of an "open period" after failure to reach a negotiated settlement.
 
It calls for a "status quo arrangement" in which the previous contracts that expired in September 2005 will be extended until Sept. 30, 2007.
 
In effect, the three sides have already completed 15 months of the new agreements, which have the exact same provisions as the previous ones.
 
Movement towards resolution of the dispute came about a week ago when the International Federation of Staff and Office Employees' Union (IFSOEU), which represents two of the staff, said that it was prepared to accept a stand-pat, short-term agreement. In its proposal, the union said the new agreement would provide the time for TNG Canada "to assess its needs as a result of its new relationship with CWA and how best to conduct the business of TNG Canada."
 
After reaching agreement with IFSOEU, TNG Canada then made the same proposal to the Federation of Guild Representatives (FGR), which represents three staff members. The FGR accepted today.