OTTAWA – The newspaper and radio ads purchased by the CBC to explain the company’s side of the worker lockout has struck a negative chord with the Canadian Labour Congress.
In a press release, CLC president Ken Georgetti said he finds the tactic galling and says he thinks most Canadians feel the same way.
"The last budget gave the CBC new funding to put towards better service. Rather than using that money for better programming, it’s being wasted on advertising at the competition! It’s being used to promote an agenda that insults its workers and fails the CBC audience, as well as its mandate," insists Georgetti.
That said, the CBC isn’t paying staff right now and is saving heaps or money. The ads would cost but a fraction of what the corporation is saving in payroll.
"When the CBC claims that telling our own peoples’ stories and promoting our own country’s culture is no longer a worthwhile career path, then something is truly wrong," says Georgetti.
(Ed note: We’ve been following this labor disruption pretty closely and the CBC is certainly not saying that.)
On Monday, the CBC locked out 5,500 professional workers represented by the Canadian Media Guild. At the heart of the dispute are demands from CBC management for increased flexibility in hiring more contract employees.
In a letter to the locked-out workers, who have set up picket lines at CBC sites across the country, Georgetti urged them to “keep up the fight,” throwing the support of the Canadian Labour Congress’ over three million members and their unions behind them.
This follows recent statements by the Steelworkers and CUPE in support of CMG.
"Getting locked out of your jobs, having your livelihood threatened by your employer is never easy. History shows us that standing together, in solidarity, is the only way to fight back and win," he wrote.
The Canadian Labour Congress says it represents three million Canadian workers and brings together Canada’s national and international unions along with the provincial and territorial federations of labour and 137 district labour councils.
