VANCOUVER – Telus and the Telecommunications Workers Union announced this evening that they have reached a settlement agreement, ending a strike that began July 21st.
The “memorandum of settlement” contains the terms of the five-year collective agreement that will now be submitted to TWU members for ratification. The TWU is recommending its members accept the agreement. Details of the deal were not released.
“Subject to ratification, this memorandum of settlement concludes the five-year process of merging six separate collective agreements into one,” says the press release.
“The tentative contract covers a national bargaining unit of approximately 14,000 employees, predominantly located in British Columbia and Alberta. It provides Telus and its team members the flexibility to compete on a level playing field and maintain Telus’ Canadian telecom leadership position in data, Internet Protocol, and wireless. Telus and the TWU believe this tentative agreement represents a collective and constructive way forward.”
After four and a half years of working without a contract, Telus imposed its final offer on the union members in July, resulting in a walkout. However, a large chunk of workers (in some regions, well over half) were crossing the picket lines to go to work.
“I am grateful that, together, we were able to negotiate an agreement that benefits Telus, our team members, our customers and our investors. It is my hope and desire that this marks the beginning of a positive and co-operative relationship," said Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of Telus Corporation.
Entwistle himself got personally involved in the talks two weeks ago in an attempt to end what had become a very bitter battle.
"Reaching an agreement has been a long and complex process, but I am convinced the outcome will help enshrine the future success of Telus and our team. We now have a significant opportunity to move forward with an agreement that recognizes our team members’ tremendous contributions and provides Telus with the flexibility needed to continue our leadership position in a highly competitive market,” added Entwistle.
"We are pleased that we have been able to reach a negotiated tentative agreement that we feel is good for our members. Their support has allowed us to work hard on their behalf throughout this difficult period," said Bruce Bell, president of the TWU. "We are recommending ratification to our members and will be conducting a ratification vote which is expected to be completed by October 23. I believe ratification will allow the TWU, its members and Telus to focus on our collective future. Our goal is to conduct the ratification process that shares information on the elements of our agreement with our members to support its acceptance and ultimately have our members back at work as soon as possible."
(That future, that near future, involves the launch of Telus TV prior to Christmas, sources told www.cartt.ca. Telus TV is the telco’s digital television service delivered over the company’s existing telecom plant, whose launch has been delayed due to the strike.)
“In order to respect the ratification process and allow the TWU to communicate the details of the offer to its members, Telus will not be providing further information related to the memorandum of settlement until such time as it is ratified,” added the release.
Ratification is expected to be completed by October 23 and within 72 hours of a positive ratification outcome, begin the process of bringing all team members back to work as quickly as possible, says the company.
