TORONTO – Tuesday evening, the Canadian Media Guild and CBC management finalized the details on a protocol that allows the public broadcaster to return to full service by Tuesday October 11, the day most members will be returning to work.
For that to happen, some maintenance technicians, IT employees and schedulers will be asked to return to work this week to put equipment in working order and to schedule shifts.
As well, some people will return to work to put Hockey Night in Canada to air on Saturday evening. Anyone returning before ratification of the agreement will do so voluntarily. Picket lines will be organized to allow people to enter the buildings.
Ratification will take place across the country between Thursday and Sunday, says the Guild. Details on meetings and voting procedures will follow.
The Guild took the position that if CBC management wants some people back early, they are going to have to pay all locked-out employees. As a result, everyone will be back on salary as of Friday October 7 and will be paid for Thanksgiving Monday, even if they don’t actually return to work until Tuesday.
As well, people who have commitments that put them in conflict with returning to work on Tuesday will have some leeway in terms of when they return to work. On the basis that they are legitimate requests, people will be allowed to use up to two weeks of TOIL and/or annual leave to bridge the time required.
CBC management has also committed to depositing the $1,000 signing bonus in employees’ accounts by the end of the day on Wednesday October 12. Everyone who was on the CBC payroll as of August 14, 2005, including casual employees who worked at least 13 weeks between April 1, 2004 and August 14, 2005, qualify for the signing bonus.
Retroactivity on the salary increases will be paid in a lump sum by October 27. Retroactivity will be paid on all time worked between April 1, 2004, and the date of return to work and it applies to all employees, including temporary and casual. Freelance employees who have, in the same period, contributed either on 45 occasions or on 12 occasions and received $10,000 or more, will receive $500.
Full text of the protocol is available on the Guild website at www.cmg.ca/cbcnegsReturn-to-work.pdf.
