TORONTO – The CBC and the union representing much of its on-air talent and production staff have reached a tentative five-year labour agreement.
The proposed deal with the Canadian Media Guild, which goes into effect April 1, 2014, includes wage increases of 1.5 per cent in each of the first two years.
Wages in the remaining three years will be negotiated later.
The union bargaining committee unanimously urged members to approve the deal, noting that the wage increases are coming at a time when the CBC will be getting no new money for salary increases from the government.
“Given the current economic and political climate, we have reached the best possible agreement and therefore unanimously recommend its ratification,” the union said in a post on its website Friday.
In addition to the wage increases, the union said the agreement includes a number of other improvements.
CBC said it was happy with the tentative agreement.
“It’s the culmination of an intense four-week negotiating period which began in August and the result of regular, collaborative meetings with CMG over the last five years,” CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson said in an email.
A membership vote on the deal is expected in January.
The Canadian Media Guild represents some 5,000 on-air, production, technical and administrative workers at CBC/Radio-Canada outside Quebec and Moncton, N.B.
