TVA’s regional stations will ultimately suffer less significant cuts than expected. Under the new collective agreement adopted this week, six journalist positions in each of the network’s regional stations will be preserved, rather than four, as was announced last November.
“Six journalists in a regional station represents either maintenance or additional coverage. In the current context, we really managed to save the furniture,” insisted M.e Steve Bargoné, union representative at the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Concretely, the new collective agreement will lead to the hiring of a new journalist in a station like that of Sherbrooke, where there are currently only five reporters on duty, according to the union. Added to this is the maintenance of three cameramen per station, rather than two, as was initially said.
That said, almost all office workers in local stations will indeed lose their jobs in the coming weeks. We are talking here, for example, about people assigned to promotion or advertising sales.
As also planned, the production of regional newscasts will be done from the Quebec station starting this spring, on a date that will soon be announced.
The stations in Saguenay, Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke and Rimouski will soon have the same anchor, who recorded these four different news bulletins from the Quebec studios. This centralization of production will require the creation of around fifteen positions at the Quebec station, particularly for broadcasting.
The president and CEO of Quebecor, Pierre Karl Péladeau, was pleased to have succeeded in saving so many jobs in the region. In a press release, however, he deplored the fact that Quebec and Ottawa refuse to expand the tax credit currently in force for written press and television. This measure could make it possible to partly cover the salaries of journalists.
“The phenomena affecting our industry will only accelerate. We will therefore continue our representations to government authorities so that the population can continue to have access to quality information in all regions of Quebec,” promised Pierre Karl Péladeau.
“Huge purge”
Remember that last November, Quebecor caused a shock wave in the media community by announcing the elimination of 547 positions at TVA, or approximately a third of the network’s workforce. Ultimately, the number of layoffs will be slightly lower, in particular thanks to the few jobs saved in the regions in the last collective agreement.
“I don’t know how many people in total will lose their jobs, but it will be less than 547. Not much less though. It remains a huge purge. We now hope that this will allow TVA to return to profitability,” underlines Steve Bargoné, who says he is emerging from difficult talks with Quebecor.
Throughout the negotiations, serious fears of a lockout hovered over TVA. Ultimately, the two sides reached common ground last week. Montreal employees have 95% approval of their new collective agreement, which will be in effect until 2026.
The one that applies to regional employees will expire in 2027. This week it received substantial support of 98%.
The two new collective agreements come with generous severance packages for employees who lose their jobs by the end of the summer. The latter will be able to receive up to a year and a half of salary, depending on their years of seniority.
Towards more convergence
Among the employees who have already received the date of their dismissal, there are a good number of technicians assigned to internal production. Shows like The cheater And The goose that lays golden eggs will shortly be produced externally.
In the coming months, TVA in Montreal will also gradually leave its studios at 1600 boulevard De Maisonneuve Est to settle in the modest premises at 4545 rue Frontenac, where it was historically located The Montreal Journal.
Journalists from TVA and Montreal Journal will be housed at the same address, even if officially their newsrooms remain separate. “It is clear that the new collective agreement is a further step towards convergence. Now, how will this be experienced on a daily basis? We don’t know yet. This is what we are going to see now,” says Steve Bargoné of CUPE.