Bell’s 4,200 office workers in Quebec and Ontario have given themselves an indefinite strike mandate — a first according to the Unifor union, which represents them.
In the past, Bell has already been affected by a strike by telephone operators or technicians, but not office workers, underlined in an interview Daniel Cloutier, new Quebec director of Unifor, which is affiliated with the FTQ in Quebec. “In all their history as a unionized group — these people, the office workers, we’re talking about 70 years of unionization — they never voted to strike at any time. It is a tour de force; I think that the employer must take it seriously in this context,” said Mr. Cloutier.
These office workers voted 65% for a pressure action mandate that could go as far as an indefinite general strike. If a strike were called, it would not be before the beginning of July, specified Mr. Cloutier.
However, the parties are not there yet. A conciliation meeting must take place on Monday afternoon, and the parties must discuss at least until June 23. “We are not yet to call a strike at this time. We will see what the negotiations will give in the coming days, ”said Mr. Cloutier.
The dispute concerns wages, telecommuting and job security, in a context of job relocation in this type of industry in recent years.
Invited to comment on the situation, Bell management had not yet done so at the time these lines were written.
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