Hard-pressed newspaper employees
seek major wage increases
Ottawa Newspaper Guild | CWA Canada
Local 30205
Solidly backed by a long-suffering
membership, the bargaining team for the Ottawa Newspaper
Guild will be pushing hard for significant wage increases
when two days of conciliation begin on Monday.
Lois Kirkup, president of the ONG,
says employees of The Ottawa Citizen, particularly
those in the editorial department, have faced increasingly
stressful working conditions as the CanWest-owned newspaper
pressed ahead with policies that force staff to do
more with less.
"We've had two rounds of buyouts since the last
negotiations (in 2003). With those, plus attrition
and leaves, about 30 people are gone," says Kirkup.
"It's all editorial that's been hit," she
says. "We're down about 20 people in the last
year. The night (copy) desk is stretched to the max.
And now, because of summer holidays, it's really bad."
The ONG is seeking a three-year deal and across-the-board
salary increases of 5.0, 4.5 and 4.5 per cent. The
company wants another five-year contract and has offered
measly annual increases ranging from one to two per
cent.
With Statistics Canada reporting today that the national
inflation rate has shot up to 3.1 per cent thanks to soaring prices
for gasoline and food, the Citizen's financial offer
is in reality a wage decrease.
Going into three days of bargaining in May, the union
was seeking strengthened job security, improvements
to benefits packages and increased wages and differentials
for its 206 members who work in editorial, circulation,
financial services, maintenance and in-house printing.
"Our position reflects what you told us: If the
company wants to heap more responsibility and expectations
on our members to do more with less while not providing
us the time or tools to do this, we deserve a raise
... this is about respect," says a bargaining
update circulated to members.
The employer, says CWA Canada staff representative
David Esposti, originally had quite a few takebacks
on the table, but most of them were gone after negotiations
from June 18 to 20.
Esposti, who has been assisting
with bargaining, notes that the ONG has not gone
to conciliation in more than 20 years. "We're
getting a little bit more resistant. We're not going
to just accept the employer's offer," he
says.
Kirkup says that posters declaring
support for the bargaining committee that have been
pinned up in all departments are "covered with signatures." There
have been good turnouts at meetings to keep the membership
apprised of bargaining developments. "They're
a lot more engaged this time, a little more vocal," she
says.
The five-year collective agreement that expired on
July 20 had afforded ONG members a large degree of
comfort due to job security language as well as restrictions
on the company's use of freelancers.
While management took another run at the clause that
prohibits the paper from laying off anyone in the newsroom
as long as it uses freelance contributors, it finally
withdrew its demands from the table.
The ONG has made headway in other areas, having reached
agreements that would extend limited benefits to employees
65 years of age and older who currently have no medical
or dental coverage, as well as a commitment to cover
eye exams and an increased eyeglass allowance.