At the end of an intense blitz of negotiations that ended late Friday night, the TVA Group employee union and the employer reached an agreement to renew the collective agreement.
The union now intends to present the agreement to employees the week of March 11. The agreement affects the two union units, that of Montreal and the regions.
A joint press release from the union and the management side indicates that “both parties say they are satisfied with the circumstances of the negotiated agreements which will allow them to face the major challenges facing the industry, while maintaining excellent working conditions and by ensuring quality journalistic coverage throughout Quebec.”
The negotiations of recent weeks have been carried out in a particularly difficult context. The Montreal broadcaster revealed last month that it had more than quintupled its losses in 2023 and announced on November 2 the layoffs of nearly 550 employees, the equivalent of approximately a third of the workforce.
TVA Group’s net losses climbed to 48 million last year, while they were 9 million in 2022.
At the time of the announcement of the collective dismissal announced in the fall, the big boss Pierre Karl Péladeau that the deficit situation in which the company finds itself is no longer viable, that it testifies to the seriousness of the situation and that the traditional TV business model is being disrupted forever.
TVA management did not wish to grant an interview regarding the agreement in principle and the union maintains that no information relating to the content of the agreement will be disclosed before the meetings are held with the union members, indicates the union advisor Steve Bargoné.
The latter, however, wants to convey the following message: “The engines had stopped running and after the terrible shock that the plane no longer had gas, the options became very limited. The plane finally landed at 2 a.m., damaged, of course, and with the certain disappointment of not having been able to make it to our original destination. But the passengers are alive… Let’s look ahead now. »
He continues by emphasizing that to this end, it was agreed to send a joint press release in order to send the message to the members and management of TVA “that it is together that we will get there”.
“This tour de force would never have been possible without the extraordinary contribution of the entire team, both union and management, who despite a lot of fog and enormous winds were able to demonstrate composure and resilience in order to ‘reach the landing strip. »
Rumors of a labor dispute (lockout or strike) circulated this winter, fueling nervousness among several employees and tension within the organization. If negotiations fail, a labor dispute was a possibility this month.
The employer had planned a contingency plan to cover the event that it would be impossible to conclude discussions on an agreement.
To restore its finances and try to secure its future, the TVA Group wants to strengthen its mission as a broadcaster only, reorganize its information department and optimize its real estate portfolio.
Pierre Karl Péladeau is asking the authorities in particular for reductions, flexibility and tax credits better adapted to the “realities” of film and television production.