'This is essentially a disingenuous backdoor termination of 150 employees'
TELUS is telling its workers to relocate or risk losing their job, according to a union.
The employer recently told the United Steelworkers union (USW) Local 1944 that some 150 unionized call centre employees based in Ontario must relocate to Montreal by October or have their employment terminated with a severance package, according to the union.
Subsequently, TELUS announced that, starting in September, roughly 1,000 call centre workers nationwide who have been working remotely since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic must report to the office three days a week.
However, customer service agents in Ontario won’t have a local office to return to, according to a Global News report.
That’s because TELUS is closing its Barrie location, which housed its Ontario contact centre, “following a thoughtful review of our real estate,” Brandi Merker, company spokesperson, told Global News.
“We’ve been on a journey to evolve our customer service, increasingly offering digital and self-serve options that continue to decrease call volumes,” she said, according to the report.
Having the ability to retain valuable talent and expertise despite an interprovincial move is an enviable prospect. However, there are very important legal implications that come with such changes, particularly about employment contracts, according to an expert.
Following the Ontario location closure, the employer is focusing on improving the skills of its frontline workers.
“As part of this evolution, we’re investing in our frontline team members with training, reskilling and new tools that modernize our capabilities so that when customers do need to call us for more complex situations, their issue is resolved the first time, every time,” said Merker.
‘Virtually no notice’ of return to office, says union
The company will provide those who will be able to relocate with a severance package, which includes “one month of wages per year of seniority, up to 18 months of wages, plus possible bonuses based on seniority,” said Michael Phillips, USW Local 1944 president.
The offer, however, is “disingenuous,” he said.
“TELUS is well aware that many employees aren’t going to be able to move provinces, so we see this as essentially a disingenuous backdoor termination of 150 employees with TELUS just sending their work overseas as they have for years,” said Phillips.
The union also said that there was “virtually no notice” that the work-from-home model in place since 2020 would change, and that it is now exploring legal options against the employer.
Employers should be shouldering office return-related expenses if they want employees to come back on-site, according to respondents in a previous survey.