BURNABY, B.C. – For the second time this month, the United Steelworkers union (USW) is strongly condemning Telus’ latest wave of job cuts, as the company once again issues Voluntary Severance Packages (VSPs) to approximately 400 USW members nationwide. The affected employees work within Telus Business Solutions (TBS) and the Small-Medium Business 100 (SMB100) team, which manages accounts with fewer than 100 lines. Impacted members are located in Burnaby, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.
Additionally, Telus has offered VSPs to approximately 80 members of SAMT-CUPE 5144 and 80 members of SQET-CUPE 5044, two of its unions in Quebec.
“At a time when Canada is striving to boost productivity, sustain economic growth and compete in global markets, Telus is once again cutting jobs and reducing service levels for Canadian businesses all while continuing to outsource work overseas,” said Michael Phillips, USW Local 1944 president. “Enough is enough. Canadians deserve better and it’s time to hold Telus accountable.”
“These voluntary offers are just the first step,” said Brian Leclerc, SAMT-CUPE 5144 president. “If Telus doesn’t reach its target number of departures, the next step will be forced layoffs.”
This latest round of job cuts follows a previous wave in early February when Telus offered severance packages to 545 employees in departments, including outside plant construction, cable repair, network operations and engineering.
“With excessive wait times, ongoing service disruptions and persistent billing issues already frustrating customers of Canada’s major telecom providers, Telus’ decision to slash even more jobs will only make matters worse for Canadian businesses,” said Jayson Little, USW staff representative.
“The USW opposes these cuts, which further undermine service quality and will harm the Canadian economy. We call on the federal government to take a stronger stance by rewarding telecommunications companies that invest in Canadian workers and ending subsidies to corporations like Telus that put profits ahead of national interests,” said Little.
“The company’s real goal is to replace our unionized jobs with overseas positions and subcontracting,” said Luc Pouliot, SQET-CUPE 5044 president.
USW Local 1944 represents approximately 3,500 members at Telus and 4,000 members in total at a number of telecommunications sector employers.
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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