Company facing 'unprecedented challenges,' says spokesperson
Bell Canada has given over 1,000 workers the option to walk out of their employ, with a spokesperson saying that the changing nature of the business is requiring fewer workers.
Bell Canada is offering severance packages to 1,200 unionized employees, CBC reported.
Under the "enhanced voluntary separation program", the workers will have the option to retire or find work elsewhere, the spokesperson said.
This comes as the employer faces "unprecedented challenges," a spokesperson told the publication.
They said that Bell Canada is changing, and that several organizational changes – including moving customers to newer fibre networks – have led to reduced workloads "requiring fewer positions," reported CBC.
Previously, TELUS announced a new wave of voluntary separations offered to about 700 workers, according to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Meanwhile, Canada Post is laying off nearly 50 managers, according to a previous report.
Bell's financial results for Q4 and throughout 2024 “demonstrate steady execution as we balanced growth with profitability, while transforming our business and reducing costs," said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada, in a recent release about its financial results.
"Through our disciplined approach, we achieved all of our non-revenue targets for 2024 and were also within our revised revenue guidance objective. We also achieved our highest annual adjusted EBITDA margin in over 30 years at 43.4%.”
The company also “decreased labour costs attributable to workforce reduction initiatives undertaken over the past year,” it said.
BCE is Canada's largest communications company, providing broadband Internet, wireless, TV, media and business communications services, with a “diverse and talented team of more 40,000 people.”
Unifor is condemning Bell Canada’s decision to offer severance packages to about 1,200 workers,.
"Workforce reduction plans are a damaging stunt to temporarily reduce costs, making profits appear higher on the backs of workers. Bell cannot keep cutting jobs every year and expect the ship to turn itself around," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "Canada is potentially facing a trade war with the U.S., and Bell has chosen to once again leave Canadian workers unemployed in part to satisfy its move into the American market."
The union also noted that just in November 2024, Bell announced its $7-billion acquisition of American company Ziply Fiber.
Unifor also noted that Bell has been conducting mass layoffs over for decades, including an October 2024 announcement to cut 120 jobs at Expertech, a June 2024 50-person job cut at Bell Media, a February 2024 4,800 person job-cut, a 1,300-person cut in June 2023, and many more.
"At some point, someone at Bell has got to put forward a long-term plan that actually includes investing in Canada's workers again,” said Payne.
