BURNABY, BC – Last week, Telus issued another 545 voluntary severance packages (VSPs) to members of the United Steelworkers union (USW) Local 1944, impacting workers in various critical departments, including outside plant construction, cable repair, network operations, engineering and more. This follows a trend of similar packages offered over the past two years significantly reducing its Canadian workforce.
The recent round of VSPs comes with the additional threat of forced relocation for workers in areas where Telus has failed to meet its desired reduction targets. This ongoing practice has raised concerns over the integrity of Canada’s telecommunications system, which is essential to the country’s infrastructure and public services.
“Telus continues to make decisions that prioritize cost-cutting over the quality of service that Canadians depend on,” said Michael Phillips, USW Local 1944 President. “These voluntary severance packages are degrading the company’s ability to maintain its network, respond to customer needs and deal with outages using in-house workers. At the same time, Telus is undermining its responsibility to Canadians to provide a reliable telecom system, all while shipping jobs overseas. It’s absolutely shameful.”
USW Local 1944 represents approximately 4,000 members at Telus and 4,500 members in total at a number of telecommunications sector employers.
The ongoing cuts to Telus’ workforce have affected the company’s ability to meet the needs of Canadians, resulting in longer hold times and slower responses to service issues. Despite these challenges, USW Local 1944 remains committed to holding the company accountable.
“Telecommunications is a critical part of Canada’s national infrastructure. It’s not just about providing a service; it’s about maintaining the backbone of our communications, and Telus has been failing on that front,” said Jayson Little, USW Staff Representative. “We’re not going to stand idly by while the company continues to make decisions that harm the very people it’s supposed to serve.”
USW Local 1944 has been vocal in its opposition to Telus’ VSP decisions, meeting with several Members of Parliament to bring attention to the company’s actions and the ongoing erosion of jobs and services in Canada. The union is also actively collaborating with other unions representing Telus workers, including SQET-CUPE 5044 and SAMT, to build a coordinated effort to protect Canadian jobs and the integrity of national telecom infrastructure.
“We are proud of the work we do to keep Canadians connected, but it’s becoming harder to take pride in that work when our efforts are being undermined by a company that seems more interested in cutting costs than serving the public,” said Phillips. “We stand united with our members and will continue to fight for a strong telecom sector that all Canadians can rely on.”
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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