(Montreal) A union representing Telus employees in Quebec is seeking to invalidate the mandatory return to the office for 120 workers, which is seen as an “anti-union maneuver” to relocate jobs overseas.
The Quebec Union of Telus Employees-Local 5044, affiliated with CUPE, filed a safeguard order with the Canada Industrial Relations Board last week.
The goal is to delay the application of the new directive until the case can be heard in arbitration, explained the union president, Luc Pouliot, in an interview.
The work of the 120 residential customer service employees located in Rimouski and Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce has been carried out almost entirely by telework since the pandemic.
Last July, the telecommunications giant announced that it would require office presence at least three days a week. Telus justified its decision by citing customer and training needs as well as better cohesion, according to the union.
“However, everything has already been functional for the last four years. The customer base is well-responsive,” says Mr. Pouliot.
The directive was scheduled to come into force in mid-September, but was recently postponed to a later date, except for certain training courses, the union leader said.
According to the union, several members have been hired in recent years with the promise that their position would be 100% telework. Others have also been allowed to relocate a considerable distance from their home base.
Employees live more than 150 km away from the company’s offices, while some are more than 400 km away from the establishments. The 120 employees concerned are customer service representatives, technical support technicians and customer service delivery support technicians.