Court grants temporary injunction against Telus’s return-to-office directive

VANCOUVER – The United Steelworkers union (USW) is pleased that the British Columbia Supreme Court has granted a temporary injunction against Telus’s return-to-office mandate, putting the company’s actions on hold temporarily.

On July 30, 2024, USW filed an urgent application with the British Columbia Supreme Court seeking an injunction over the return-to-office directive, which required approximately 1,000 USW Local 1944 members nationwide to make a difficult choice between accepting a Voluntary Severance Package (VSP), Early Retirement Incentive Plans (ERIP) or returning to the office by Aug. 9, 2024.

On Aug. 8, 2024, the British Columbia Supreme Court granted interim relief to protect workers from irreparable harm while USW pursues relief through adjudication before an arbitrator.

“We are happy and relieved that the Court has granted a temporary injunction,” said Michael Phillips, USW Local 1944 president. “This injunction will ensure that affected employees may retain their rights under the existing work-from-home policies for the time being and are not unfairly pressured into making a decision that could lead to significant personal and professional hardships.”

The injunction will remain in place until two months after an arbitrator is selected and may be extended by agreement or further order of the Court. 

USW will move forward as expeditiously as possible to have the grievances adjudicated before an arbitrator who will be selected by the parties. 

“We firmly believe the blanket return-to-office directive from Telus violates the Collective Agreement and disproportionately affects women, individuals with families and elder care responsibilities and members with disabilities. We appreciate the interim relief provided by the Court’s order and look forward to pursuing a just outcome on this issue,” said Phillips.

About the United Steelworkers union

The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.

Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions.

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