Friday, June 16, 2023

Last Friday, arbitrator Dennis O’Connor confirmed that our 2009 benefits and pension agreement with CBC/Radio-Canada is still in effect. In his ruling, Mr. O’Connor agreed with CBC/Radio-Canada unions and the Pensioners’ Association that the Corporation could not unilaterally terminate the agreement as it claimed to do in 2019.  The 2009 agreement gives employees and pensioners the right to share in pension plan surpluses and requires transparency around the healthcare fund many of us contributed to from 2009-2019. As a result of the ruling, the Corporation is required to respect the terms of the 2009 agreement, including the pension plan surplus sharing, effective immediately. 

See our Frequently Asked Questions for information on what this means for you. 

Mr. O’Connor is a highly respected former Ontario Court of Appeal justice and former Associate Chief Justice of Ontario.  He was also the Commissioner of two major public inquiries:  The Walkerton Inquiry (2000 – 2002) and the Maher Arar Inquiry (2004 – 2006).  In his decision about our 2009 Agreement, he delivered a thorough and comprehensive judgment against the Corporation’s attempt to terminate the balanced and carefully negotiated agreement that protects the rights of pension members to share in pension surpluses and created a Health Care Fund to protect our health benefits. Click here to read the full decision.

All the unions and the Pensioners’ Association, who pulled together to take this case to arbitration, have now written to CBC’s Vice President of People and Culture, Marco Dubé, and proposed a meeting take place as soon as possible to discuss the immediate implementation of the requirements of the 2009 Agreement that have been on hold and not carried out since 2019. We pointed out that the sharing of the pension plan surpluses from the last two years is particularly important at this time when the cost of living is reaching a record high. We further advised of our willingness to immediately engage in constructive discussions related to benefit costs and the functioning of the Consultative Committee on Staff Benefits (CCSB). 

We sincerely hope the Corporation will not delay further in meeting its obligations.

Signed in Solidarity,

Stéphane Désautels, APS President

Julie Brunet, AR President

Naomi Robinson, CMG-CBC Branch President

Donald Langis, PNA President

Pierre Tousignant, STTRC President