Unionized staff at the Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Sun have voted in favour of the latest contract offer from Postmedia Inc., averting a potential lockout.
The Ottawa Newspaper Guild says 32 members voted for the offer while 24 voted against, despite a recommendation from its bargaining committee to reject the offer.
The Guild said in a Facebook post that members were clearly divided over whether to accept the offer or continue to fight for a better deal against an “increasingly threatening employer.”
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Postmedia had said it would lock out union employees if they voted against the deal, and would consider permanent job cuts in the event of a labour disruption.
Staff at the two newspapers have been without a contract for 34 months as negotiations on cuts to benefits and other issues dragged on.
Lois Kirkup, vice-president of the Ottawa Newspaper Guild, had said the company was “gutting” benefits, while Postmedia said it had made its best offer given the economic challenges of the industry.
