FEDERAL LABOUR AND HOUSING MINISTER TO MEET WITH CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION AND CANADIAN MEDIA GUILD CNW The Honourable Joe Fontana, Minister of Labour and Housing, today announced that he has asked Mr. Robert Rabinovitch, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Mr. Arnold Amber, President - CBC Branch of the Canadian Media Guild to meet with him on Monday, September 26, 2005, to discuss the status of their negotiations and to develop a plan to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion without further delay.
"I plan to meet with the decision-makers, find out why their negotiating committees are having difficulty in reaching a mutually acceptable compromise, and remind both parties of their responsibility to the Canadian public in order that normal broadcast operations can resume as soon as possible," said Minister Fontana. "I am confident that with a willingness to be flexible and more hard work, the parties will be able to reach a settlement."
The approximately 5,500 members of the Guild working at CBC have been locked out since August 15, 2005. Federal mediators have been meeting with the parties since August 31, 2005. The collective agreements between both parties expired on March 31, 2004. |