TORONTO — The union representing Globe and Mail staff has agreed to extend contract talks with the newspaper's management until Thursday at midnight.
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union said Monday that both sides will meet with labour mediator William Kaplan on Thursday, and that no other strike, lockout or work-to-rule action will be taken before then.
The Globe workers' current contract expires on Tuesday, and management has been negotiating concessions and changes to be implemented by Wednesday.
Under the arrangement Monday, the company will not implement its offer or suspend any part of the collective agreement before the deadline, the union said.
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Both sides have agreed to honour a media blackout until the new deadline.
The union has already been given a mandate to call a strike by its membership. On the weekend, editorial, advertising and circulation workers voted 89 per cent against a revised proposal emailed to them on Friday.
The latest proposal from the company was a five-year deal. It gives existing employees the option to convert their defined-benefits pension plan into a defined-contribution plan — which offers a lower payment — or stick with their defined plan under an increased member contribution rate.
New hires would be started only in a defined contribution plan.
The offer includes no annual wage increases in 2009 and 2010, 1.5 per cent in 2011, two per cent in 2012 and 2.5 per cent in 2013.