Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 17/05) - Nearly 70 Yellowknife-based CBC reporters, camera operators, producers and technicians were locked out Monday - part of a country wide labour dispute at the national broadcaster.

As a result, almost all CBC North radio and television operations - including morning newscasts and Northbeat, the half-hour evening news program - have been suspended.

Monday morning, locked-out employees picketed outside of CBC headquarters on Forrest Drive, carrying placards and waving to supportive honks from drivers.

"At the moment, we are ready to wait as long as it takes," said local union president Jack Vethaak.

Several picketers predicted the labour dispute would last at least one week.

Vethaak said this was the first time all unionized workers at the CBC - which make up roughly 90 per cent of the workforce in Yellowknife - have been on strike at once.

At the centre of the dispute is a debate over the number of temporary workers employed by the broadcaster. In Dec. 2001, CBC technicians across Canada were locked out for about two weeks. During that dispute, CBC North regional programming was also disrupted. The Canadian Media Guild - which represents 5,500 CBC workers including star personalities like The National anchor Peter Mansbridge - says 30 per cent of employees are non-permanent and many must re-negotiate their contracts every year.

"People want job security so they can move forward with their lives," said Vethaak.

"This is what (the corporation has) wanted for years: a disposable workforce."

Calls to the CBC offices in Yellowknife, Ottawa and Toronto were not returned by deadline. Picketers said senior managers in Yellowknife were travelling around the North to close down bureaus in places like Inuvik and Iqaluit.

In an open letter published this weekend in the Globe and Mail, CBC Television vice-president Richard Stursberg said the broadcaster "needs to retain the freedom to contract out parts of its operations when there is a compelling business case."

"The Canadian media environment is the most competitive in the world," he wrote. "The CBC must become a much more flexible, agile, nimble operation."

Negotiations between the corporation and the union broke down last week, but Vethaak was hopeful the two sides would resume talks by today,

Management plans to continue with its flagship programs including the National and promised "respectable and professional news program," spokesperson Jason MacDonald said last week.

Locked-out workers will receive so-called strike pay for walking picket lines 20 hours each week.