Some 150 Ontario Telus workers will either have to move to Quebec or find a new job after their union lost its return-to-office fight.
Those workers, who are represented by United Steelworkers Local 1944, were told in July they either had to relocate to Montreal by October, apply for another role or agree to be laid off as the company mandated a return to in-office work.
Unlike other Telus employees, their main location of work in Barrie, Ont., was slated to be shut down by the company this fall – that was until August when the British Columbia Supreme Court ordered a pause on Telus’ plans while it heard arguments from the union.
In an update Tuesday, the union said the arbitrator ruled in favour of Telus.
“He has found that Telus did not violate our collective agreement, or any aspect of Canadian labour law. As such, the original work from office and redeployment mandates are considered valid, and Telus was given the right to reestablish and enforce these directives,” the union said in a statement posted on its website.
“The arbitrator has yet to provide the reasoning behind his decision, but we expect his rationale in the coming days.”
Decision will create ‘hardship’ for Ontario workers: union
The union added the outcome will have repercussions.
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“This result creates hardship for many, and we wish that the company’s actions could have been stopped by the grievance/arbitration process, as we’ve attempted to do,” it said.
“But please know that your union has fought for worker’s rights for 80 years, and that no loss will ever dissuade your union from fighting its utmost for the justice that you deserve at work. The fight continues.”
The arbitration ruling will allow Telus to evolve as a company, spokesperson Brandi Merker said.
“Yesterday’s arbitration ruling allows us to evolve our ways of working and commence a training and re-skilling program that will empower our frontline team members with the tools they need to address complex customer queries and improve our overall service model,” Merker told Global News in a statement.
“We hope our team is excited to evolve and grow with us but we understand that this is a personal decision each and every team member must make for themselves.”
In the summer, Telus said it would require roughly 1,000 call centre employees across Canada, who have been working remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic began, to return to the office three days a week starting in September.
However, Telus Ontario call centre workers wouldn’t have an office to return to because the company said it would be shutting down its Barrie site following a “thoughtful review of our real estate,” spokesperson Merker told The Canadian Press in July.
At the time, the union said it was looking into its legal options given there was “virtually no notice” about the changes. It sought and was granted a temporary injunction in August.
Michael Phillips, president of United Steelworkers National Local 1944, told Global News last month their members were facing “extreme stress” over the move.
Phillips said most of the affected Ontario employees have been working from home for years, and while the majority live in the Greater Toronto Area, the union doesn’t know of any who have expressed a desire to move to Montreal for in-office work.
He also said the union is unaware of how many members may have applied for other roles at Telus, but added the company has not stated if it would open additional postings for affected employees, or if it would give preference to affected employees in hiring for any existing postings.
Aside from offering financial support for those willing to make the move, Merker told Global News last month Telus has offered “financially generous” voluntary separation packages that “exceed the requirements of the Canada Labour Code.”
“We’re confident that our evolved style of serving our customers and investment in our valued team members will enhance our customer service experience,” Merker added on Wednesday.
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