Some 150 Ontario call centre workers will remain in the province for the time being as their union battles Telus on its return-to-office plan.
Those workers, who are represented by United Steelworkers Local 1944, were told in July they had to either relocate to Montreal by October, apply for another role or agree to be laid off as the company mandated in-office work this month.
Unlike other Telus employees, their main location of work in Barrie, Ont., was slated to be shut down by the company this fall – that is until last month, a court ordered a pause on its plans while it hears arguments from the union.
“Our members are under extreme stress at this time, especially those in Ontario being offered the choice of losing their communities or losing their jobs,” said Michael Phillips, president of United Steelworkers National Local 1944.“We are assisting our members with workplace accommodation requests related to the mandates, and we’re generally trying to draw the public’s attention to the fact that there is a contradiction between how Telus markets itself as an ethical employer versus how they treat their employees.”
In the summer, Telus said it would require roughly 1,000 call centre employees across Canada, who have been working remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic began, to return to the office three days a week starting in September.
However, Telus Ontario call centre workers wouldn’t have an office to return to because the company said it would be shutting down its Barrie site following a “thoughtful review of our real estate,” spokesperson Brandi Merker told The Canadian Press in July.