Andrea Markey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 31/05) - Preliminary talks are set to begin today between the union representing the locked-out CBC workers and CBC management. Negotiations had been stalled since the Aug. 15 lock-out.

Locked-out CBC workers held a public information event at the post office on Friday. Premier Joe Handley attended and addressed the CBC workers and their supporters.

Although CBC management lists more than 40 issues left to agree upon after 15 months of negotiating with the Canadian Media Guild union, the issue of "disposability vs. flexibility" or "contract vs. permanent" is the main topic of contention for locked out workers.

Dozen of locked out workers in Yellowknife staged a public event on Friday to share their frustrations over the labour dispute that is now in its third week.

CBC workers, along with Public Service Alliance of Canada and Union of Northern Workers representatives, spoke about the need for job security.

In a diplomatic speech, Premier Joe Handley expressed concern for the future of long-term jobs.

"It is always a concern in a town like Yellowknife that people have job security," he later said in an interview. "People need the stability of full-time jobs in order to buy homes and spend money."

Any agency, including government, needs to carefully look at casual, contract and part-time positions if it becomes a trend, he said.

Todd Parsons, president of the Union of Northern Workers, pledged his personal support for the CBC workers.

"The increase of contracted workers is a cancer eating away at job security and is something all workers must fight," he said.

Some people say they don't have a problem with contract work, said Norbert Poitras, host of CBC North's Trail's End radio program and union vice-president for the NWT. "As they get older and want to buy a house or start a family, they will have a problem."

Joe Fontana, Minister of Labour and Housing, is looking to appoint a special mediator to assist in the negotiations.