Guild hopes settlement offer
averts strike
at TV network
Canadian
Media Guild | TNG Canada
Local 30213
Guild negotiators have presented
an offer of settlement that they hope will avert a
strike by editorial employees at the Aboriginal Peoples
Television Network.
“We are eager to fix the problems
and help make APTN a leader in quality journalism in
this country,” says Greg Taylor, vice-president
of the Canadian Media Guild's APTN branch and a member
of the bargaining committee. “What we’re
looking for is evidence that APTN management is as
committed to this news service as we are, and committed
to treating its journalists with dignity and respect.”
The union’s offer of
settlement proposes a plan to improve the relationship
between employees and management, a commitment to
develop a training program, and wage increases totalling
11.5 per cent over five years.
Employees have twice rejected management offers, with
the latest vote being held Feb. 13. In December, they
voted 73 per cent in favour of giving the bargaining
team a strike mandate.
The union has not yet set a strike deadline and is
willing to work with federal conciliators at the bargaining
table to get beyond the impasse. Negotiations have
been ongoing since the collective agreement expired
in April 2006.
Despite being granted $11 million more annually in
cable subscriber fees by the federal regulator at the
end of 2005, APTN management has refused to commit
to training and offered only two per cent annual wage
increases over the next five years, which is below
the industry average.
The 24 editorial staff, who include producers, studio
crew, reporters, master control operators, videojournalists,
researchers, shooter/editors, anchors and broadcast
technicians, have a lot of ideas about how to strengthen
the network, but they feel that they are not being
listened to in their own workplace.
APTN, a private, not-for-profit corporation, is based
in Winnipeg and has news bureaus in Halifax, Montreal,
Ottawa, Toronto, Saskatoon, Vancouver and Yellowknife.
(This is an edited version of a communique posted
on the Canadian
Media Guild website.)
