CMPA raises
concerns
about sale
of Shaw Media
OTTAWA — The Canadian
Media Producers Association
(CMPA) has raised concerns
about the sale of Shaw Media to
Corus Entertainment.
The deal — which was ap-
proved by the Canadian Radio-
television and Telecommuni-
cations Commission (CRTC)
on March 23 — will see Corus
dominating women's, lifestyle
and children's programming in
Canada, the union said.
"(The decision) sends a shiver
down the spine of Canada's in-
dependent producers, who now
face the hard realities of a hy-
per-consolidated broadcasting
sector," said Reynolds Mastin,
president and CEO of CMPA.
According to the union,
Corus can now use its greater
negotiating power to extract
further rights and revenues
from independent producers.
CMPA warns producers' roles
will be reduced to that of service
providers while simultaneously
tying them to the financial risks
involved in making TV shows.
Ultimately, CMPA said, the
sale could shrink the produc-
tion sector and put thousands
of jobs at risk.
In a recent submission to the
CRTC, the union requested the
regulator require Corus to im-
plement safeguards to ensure
the expanded company pro-
vides a level playing field when
negotiating with independent
producers.
"A healthy, vibrant broadcast-
ing system must strike a balance
between the need for strong and
successful broadcasters and the
need to foster competition for
creative ideas, talent and pro-
grams," said Mastin.
Steelworkers,
Nordia ratify
agreement
KITCHENER-WATERLO O,
ONT. — United Steelworkers
(USW) members at the Nordia
Kitchener call centre in Kitchen-
er-Waterloo, Ont., recently rati-
fied a new collective agreement.
The five-year contract —
which affects about 400 employ-
ees — was approved by 80 per
cent of union members in its rati-
fication vote. It includes increases
in base wage rates ranging from
5.3 per cent to 13 per cent. Em-
ployees will receive a further 1.5
per cent wage increase in each
year of the contract, effective on
the anniversary of their hiring
date. Wage hikes will be retroac-
tive to Dec. 1, 2015.
Additionally, contract lan-
guage addressing the terms and
conditions of employment were
strengthened. The agreement
also included improvements to
job security and the scheduling
of sick leave.
"Call centres, by nature, have
constantly changing landscapes
which can make collective bar-
gaining challenging for all in-
volved," said Kristine Chapman,
chair of the USW bargaining
unit that represented Nordia
employees.
"We reached an agreement
that we believe will keep Nordia
Kitchener on the map for cur-
rent and future business and
that translates into job secu-
rity for our 400 members. The
significant wage increases and
improvements to our contract
reflect the value that our mem-
bers bring to their workplace."
LABOUR BRIEFS
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