Negotiations for the renewal of the collective agreement for unionized employees of TVA Group are failing, in a context of massive layoffs. Fears of a lockout are growing.
The TVA Employees Union, affiliated with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), left the negotiating table with the management party on Monday. A step backwards which is in no way a disavowal of the negotiation process, indicated in an interview with The Press union advisor Steve Bargoné.
“We decided to withdraw to take a step back, but we still intend to continue negotiations next week,” he assures. The next meeting in the presence of the conciliator is scheduled for February 7.
In a letter sent to its members on Facebook on Tuesday, the negotiating committee explained that “even before discussions resumed, the employer informed the conciliator that it had no mandate to save jobs illegally cut on November 2 last year.
The negotiating committee considered that it was “out of the question” to remain at the table under these conditions.
Last November, Quebecor announced the layoff of nearly 550 employees, creating shock waves in the media industry.
Labor dispute rumors
A conciliator for the signing of a new collective agreement has been involved in the matter since December. His term ends on February 11. If the two parties cannot reach an agreement, a strike (on the employee side) or a lockout (on the management side) could be called on March 4.
No strike is planned on the union side, maintains Mr. Bargoné. “A strike or a lockout is not in our options,” he says. The only option is to try to avoid any conflict, and to try to reach an agreement with the employer before the fateful date. »
However, rumors are circulating that a lockout will be declared. On Wednesday, the Quebec Alliance of Image and Sound Technicians (AQTIS) – a union which represents some 7,000 freelancers – published a press release encouraging its members to remain in solidarity with TVA union members.
“A persistent rumor seems to indicate that TVA would offer employment contracts to some of our members to fill its positions in the event of a labor conflict, strike, or lockout,” underlines AQTIS. “We want to remind you that our sisters and brothers at TVA, like us members of the FTQ, are entitled to respect and solidarity. »
Steve Bargoné did not want to comment on the rumor. “It is not in our discussions, and the employer has never directly raised in my presence the possibility of a lockout on March 4,” he says.
“We remain focused on the objective of trying at all costs to resolve the collective agreement and, obviously, everything surrounding the current debate on cuts. We try to find common ground. »
Worried employees
The union decision to leave the negotiating table on Monday, however, caused many to react on social networks.
Journalist Félix Séguin described the union decision on Facebook as an “extremely dangerous game, both for those who will have to leave and for those who will have to stay”. “In the short and medium term, I believe that this posture will only lead to losers,” worried the host of I.
“Withdraw from the conciliation table when there was still time and the conciliator appointed by the federal government is one of the most skilled in his profession, according to many, really? », also launched the anchor of the continuous news channel LCN Paul Larocque.
“TVA is not a growing company like Netflix,” also underlined sports journalist Renaud Lavoie. “If you continue to deny reality, you are putting all union members in danger, both those who leave and those who stay. »
Online, other unionized TVA employees instead appealed for solidarity and confidence in the negotiation process, particularly for those laid off.
“I understand very well the members’ feeling insecure in the face of a potential conflict,” says Mr. Bargoné. “We cannot prevent this, but we remain in the mission of resolving and avoiding a conflict. »
Negotiations against a backdrop of layoffs
On November 2, Quebecor boss Pierre Karl Péladeau announced the dismissal of 547 employees, or nearly a third of his workforce. All because of a situation deemed “critical” for the media company. In particular, it decided to end its internal television production by transferring it externally.
A way of getting a “pass on the pallet”, the union then denounced. “TVA will be able to continue to do exactly the same thing, but the workers, rather than having a unionized job with a pension plan and insurance, will become freelancers with independent producers linked to TVA,” estimated Mr. Bargoné.
About ten days later, Pierre Karl Péladeau avoided a meeting with the union because of his public accusations, he denounced. It is in this context that negotiations began for a new collective agreement for TVA Group employees last December. Their last collective agreement had ended a year earlier.
Heavy history
The lockout of Montreal Journal, also owned by Quebecor, was a landmark, being the longest in the history of the press in Canada. It lasted 764 days, from January 24, 2009 to February 26, 2011. During this period, the Newspaper continued to be published, with the help of executives, freelancers and non-union employees of the QMI agency.
Currently, employees of another Quebecor subsidiary, Videotron, in Gatineau, have been locked out since the end of October.