Please bring CBC radio back
For someone like me who loves listening to CBC radio, not having the regular programming because of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s staff lockout–mainly because of a labour-management dispute over contractual versus permanent employment–is horrible.
But because I think that employees deserve knowing that they will have a job in the near future, I am willing to wait this out for a bit longer.
While CBC management wants to be able to hire more employees on short-term contracts instead of on a permanent basis, the Canadian Media Guild (CMG), the union representing the employees, argues that it could be detrimental to the integrity of the broadcaster’s presentation of news because journalists would be more worried about having a job than doing it right.
Like anyone who has a habit, a couple days before the August 9 lockout, when I heard on the six o’clock news that the CMG, representing about 5,300 CBC employees, and CBC management weren’t coming to terms on a new collective agreement, I wasn’t really concerned. They were there for now.
When the staff was locked out, I just switched to another radio station, figuring that the lockout would only last a week.
Now I’m tired of the other stations, tired of my few CDs and just want CBC staff to be allowed back to work to entertain and inform me.
While I was researching this column, I discovered that the staff are feeling the same way and have created news websites, are volunteering on radio shows and performing live plays in an attempt to keep the flavour of their jobs going.
The websites are: cbclockout.org, which provides up-to-date news on the strike, and the ability to sign up for lockout updates to your email; CBCUnlocked.ca, which is a news site on Canadian and world issues; and cbcontheline.ca, which has fun features related to being locked out (such as getting exercise walking the picket line), blogs, letters from fans, and news.
As the first complete CBC lockout in 69 years drags into its sixth week, and I get more and more bored with the alternatives, at least now I know I can at least get an improvised “CBC” online.
It is a good thing the locked out staff care about their work as journalists and technicians, and understand that the country relies on them for accurate and up-to-date information.
The websites will have to tide me over while the union and management slowly pick away at the other collective agreement issues. Currently, there are less than half of the 40 issues left to sort out, which are being worked on during the most recent round of negotiations that started this past weekend.
While the two sides are making progress, a recent article on cbcontheline.ca stated they have set aside the issue of job contracting for the time being because they can’t agree on the proper wording.
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