TVO has reached a buyout agreement with 13 former employees in the wake of their months-long strike — but now, the Toronto-based Ontario education network is receiving backlash for its statement dismissing the bought-out staffers.
The strike, which started back in August, came to a close on November 6 when members of the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) at TVO agreed to a 7.7 percent salary increase over a three-year period.
In a statement to Queen's Park Today, the broadcaster said the buyouts are "what's best for TVO and how we move forward as an organization after what has been a long and emotional few months."
The statement calls the 13 employees — who make up nearly 18 percent of the 74 striking guild members — a
"relatively small group of employees," who "made it clear they are not aligned with TVO's culture and direction."
"We think it is better to make a clean break and not have things fester while we work to rebuild the culture we all value at TVO," the statement concludes.
According to acting union president Ryan VanBuskirk, CMG members did ask for a buyout option to be included in the agreement for those who didn't want to return to work, but felt insulted by the broadcaster's public statement.
The 13 employees who opted to accept buyout agreements include now-former union branch president Meredith Martin and vice-president Cara Stern, who long served as a producer on The Agenda.
The strike, which started back in August, came to a close on November 6 when members of the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) at TVO agreed to a 7.7 percent salary increase over a three-year period.
In a statement to Queen's Park Today, the broadcaster said the buyouts are "what's best for TVO and how we move forward as an organization after what has been a long and emotional few months."
The statement calls the 13 employees — who make up nearly 18 percent of the 74 striking guild members — a
"relatively small group of employees," who "made it clear they are not aligned with TVO's culture and direction."
"We think it is better to make a clean break and not have things fester while we work to rebuild the culture we all value at TVO," the statement concludes.
According to acting union president Ryan VanBuskirk, CMG members did ask for a buyout option to be included in the agreement for those who didn't want to return to work, but felt insulted by the broadcaster's public statement.
The 13 employees who opted to accept buyout agreements include now-former union branch president Meredith Martin and vice-president Cara Stern, who long served as a producer on The Agenda.
