Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 19/99) - The strike-threat that has loomed over the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's English-language service for the past month became a reality Wednesday morning as almost 3,000 technical personnel walked off the job and took to the streets across the country.

The effects of the strike in Yellowknife were felt immediately. The television-broadcasting day was delayed and a CBC staffer said that the news programs Northbeat and Igalaaq are on hold.

Radio shows like "Morningside" and "As It Happens" ran repeat programs nationwide.

Picketing in front of the CBC offices Wednesday afternoon were 12 of the 16 Yellowknife technical workers belonging to the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union, which launched its strike at midnight.

Leading the picket and dressed in a protective red parka was the union's Local 85 secretary-treasurer Darrel Eros, who said the strikers were neither angry nor surprised by the turn of events.

"We knew it was coming more or less," he said, adding, "The CBC hasn't budged from their position from the start of negotiations and we haven't asked for anything extra but to get realistic with our pay scale."

Eros said he expects the strikers will soon have even more support when their colleagues in production join them on the streets. CBC production workers, which include on-air personnel, are represented by the Canadian Media Guild and had their last collective agreement bargaining session in Toronto on Monday.

"Our negotiation session lasted for about six or 12 minutes," said Guild representative Bruce May, "We asked management if they were prepared to bargain, because we'd already taken their proposal across the country and our members weren't interested, and they said absolutely not, and that's where it's been left."

May said he expects members to vote on a strike by March 4, which could see the 3,300 production workers walk out soon afterward.

May said he had been out at the Toronto picket before work to show solidarity with his striking co-workers.

"I didn't see any anger but the last offer made to them by management was contemptuous," he said, "The CEP came down from its last offer and the management came back offering 0-0-0 (or no increases at all) -- real bush-league stuff."

CBC North radio reporter Judy Aldous had also joined the Yellowknife picket after work. Though a guild member and not on strike, she said she wanted listeners and management to know programmers and producers supported the strike.

Eros said that besides wage increases to bring CBC workers up to industry standards, job-security is the other major issue affecting all CBC workers.

But Eros said that on the whole Yellowknife workers respect their managers, and keep them up to date on concerns and developments.

"We're a pretty decent bunch up here, pretty civil, and we haven't conked anyone over the head as they've walked in the door," he said.