Telecommunications

REGINA—Unifor Local 1-S and Local 2-S will make reversing the trend of contracting out unionized work a key priority as they begin bargaining this week with SaskTel.

More than 100 telecommunications members from Expertech gathered in Kingston, Ontario, on Tuesday, December 5, to demand fair wages, improved benefits, and an end to the persistent issue of contracting out at Bell Canada.

Despite the cold weather, the workers were determined to express their discontent with the lack of commitment and respect from Bell Canada. Participants marched from Confederation Park to Kingston Market Square Hotel, where collective bargaining with Bell is taking place. 

KINGSTON— Telecommunications workers from Expertech will converge in Kingston, Ontario, on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, rallying against Bell's sustained efforts in job erosion through practices such as offshoring and contracting out. The unified stand calls for full-time jobs, equitable wages and benefits that keep up with the pace of inflation.

A total of 220 Unifor members representing Local 6000 and 6001 in Quebec and Local 6007 in Ontario have voted in favour of a new collective agreement. This marks the conclusion of months of rigorous negotiations with Bell.

Negotiations commenced in the autumn of 2022 and reached an impasse, necessitating the support of a federal conciliation officer. The result of this mediation was a tentative agreement, which members voted to ratify on October 11, 2023.

For the first time in nearly three decades, Unifor hosted joint strategy meetings at its national offices in Toronto and Montreal, on Sept. 12 and 14, bringing together members from Ontario and Quebec Bell Canada Craft, Bell Technical Services and Expertech.

The members discussed new ways of pooling expertise and resources to build impactful bargaining approaches with the aim to better serve Unifor’s collective membership.

REGINA—Unifor has uncovered more contracting out of permanent, unionized jobs on the site simplyhired.ca, the fourth such discovery this year by the union.

“Scott Moe needs to answer to SaskTel customers and the people of Saskatchewan: why the rush to replace good jobs with low-bid contractors and out-of-province firms?” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director.

REGINA—For the third time this year Unifor has uncovered a privatization scheme at SaskTel that sends work out of province or to a low-bid non-union firm.

“The Sask Party government seems intent on bleeding all of the good jobs out of SaskTel,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “SaskTel was once a local, good job creator. Then Scott Moe and Brad Wall got their hands on it.”

A jam-packed agenda greeted delegates to Unifor’s 2023 Telecommunications Conference, with opportunities to hear from union specialists and space to reflect on bargaining victories and opportunities shared across the highly-integrated sector.

Telecommunications Council President and National Executive Board Representative Jeff Brohman set the tone early on by declaring a mission, “We will be using this space to discuss the imminent threat to our membership. We need action, both directly and politically.”

REGINA—The Sask Party government must stop shielding information about where outsourced SaskTel jobs are heading and come clean about why Crown corporation jobs are leaving Saskatchewan, says Unifor.

“The people of Saskatchewan deserve answers about why Minister Don Morgan is so eager to send good jobs to Alberta and overseas,” said Len Poirier, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer.

“SaskTel is owned by the people of Saskatchewan. Let’s make it do better to employ the people of Saskatchewan.”

REGINA—Highly qualified union workers at SaskTel should do the work involved in the company’s massive expansion of its fibre optic broadband network into rural Saskatchewan.