About a month ago, four hundred employees who work at the Museum of Civilization and the War Museum in Ottawa went on strike.
Unless you live in Ottawa, you may not be aware of this. But we should be -- because the issues are remarkably similar to those at the centre of the CBC lockout in 2005 and those we continue to fight today.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada which represents the workers, says that only 6 out of 55 museum guides are permanent. Employees go from contract to contract and lose traction in seniority and wage advancement every time they do. Sound familiar?
Online comments to various news sites about the strike indicate that some members of the public may not take the museum workers’ issues seriously because they are seen to be transient – doing this work until they figure out their “real” future.
This is a really dangerous assumption to make, as anyone in our business knows. People in the culture industry are often taken less seriously than other workers because of the “glamorous” perception of this work and the availability of part-time cyclical work that tends to attract students. Of course, these views are exploited by managements who want to pay their workers less. And we’ve got to stop this, wherever and whenever it happens.
Then there’s the big issue of the public funding of our cultural sector. Last year, the Conservative government subjected the Museum of Civilization to the same “strategic review” that the CBC is undergoing this year. The Museum lost $400,000 in that process. The CBC stands to lose about $50 million.
The Museums’ CEO Victor Rabinovitch hasn’t been vocal about this cut – just like his brother, Robert Rabinovitch who as CEO of the CBC refused to ask the federal government for more money for the Corporation.
This is bigger than a single dispute in the nation’s capital. The strike highlights the need to pull all kinds of workers and citizens together to fight for the overall health of our culture industry. In fact, as I write this, I'm at a conference where people are discussing more unity among everyone in the broader knowledge industry -- which includes academics. That means working together to achieve collective agreements that make real careers possible, and proper funding for our cherished institutions so they can survive without undercutting their own employees.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
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The media never mentions that most of the 365 other employees are highly trained and skilled salaried employees.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to assume that you can save money by contracting out to the 'lowest bidder', but that only assumes fiscal responsibility to this years' government. If you look at the cost of constant retraining, resulting poor documentation and corporate records, in the end you've spent a lot more. This is not a cafeteria that we are talking about here, it is our collective Canadian culture, and that is worth properly maintaining.
(also, the cuts were $4,000,000, not $400,000)
I trained to work in the Museum, and worked on contract for the CWM and totally support the staff and their fight! These people have more passion for their work than anyone I have ever met. They love their job, and love their Museum, and deserve to be recognized for it!
ReplyDeleteThe demands of striking museum workers are ridiculous.. These are not essential jobs,, they are jobs designed for young people who need casual employment until they get a real job. The stikers have achieved nothing. Go back to work,, be thanful you have a job and educate yourelf to acquire a better job if you wish for more income.
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