The document below was released on January 10th by the Syndicat des communications de Radio-Canada (FNC-CSN) which represents most union employees in CBC French services. The communique is in response to positions taken by the CBC at and following meetings with the Corporation to review the Memorandum of Agreement which establishes the rules for the sharing of pension surpluses and the creation of a fund to offset future costs of employee supplementary health care.
The communique which was released to SCRC members marks a significant escalation of the dispute between the Unions and the CBC with regards to that fund.
A short while ago Denis advised you that since our last conference call meeting, the PNA and the Unions had responded to the CBC’s December 16 letter indicating the parties’ rejection of the notice of termination of the MOA as of March 31st, 2020. The facts are that the original agreement does not have a termination date, parties had ample opportunity to propose amendments to the Agreement and no consensus has been reached regarding any changes to the document. Furthermore, the CBC has been invited to provide additional information for the consideration of all parties.
The dispute with the Unions around the health care fund does not directly affect members of the PNA. The basic argument from the Unions is that they have met their obligation to create a fund and that any future deductions in pay are not anticipated in the agreement and would constitute an improper and illegal cut in pay.
It is reasonable to expect the Unions (particularly SCRC) to move this dispute to arbitration. While it focuses on contributions to the SHCP fund the dispute will no doubt have consequences for the overall agreement.
We are attempting to arrange a conversation with the leadership of SCRC to better understand what it sees as its next steps. We will keep you informed with regards to any developments.
Regards,
Dan Oldfield