The Syndicat général du cinéma et de la télévision (SGCT - CUPE 4835) is dismayed by the announcement of yet another wave of job cuts at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). This time, 53 NFB workers will lose their jobs. This means that at least 80 unionized positions have been abolished since the beginning of the year, not counting the many silent cuts.
“We’re not fooled by management’s rhetoric, which turns job cuts and downsizing into a modernization operation. For our members and their families, these are cuts, period. We’ve been saying for years that the structural deficit in the organization’s budget threatens its mission. A true modernization would be to ensure adequate funding for the NFB to preserve its integrity and protect the craftspeople who work there with all their heart,” adds Olivier Lamothe, President of SGCT - CUPE 4835.
Given the job cuts at the Halifax, Edmonton and Winnipeg studios last fall, and the dismantling of the interactive studios earlier this year, these cuts further contribute to the rapid erosion of regional and cultural expertise and representativeness, which is worrying in an organization that must reflect the reality and diversity of Canadians through the works it produces.