MONTREAL – After months of bargaining and weeks of voting, 88% of the approximately 5,000 technical employees represented by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers’ Union of Canada (CEP) have rejected the company’s final contract offer.
The union now has a strike mandate, meaning that a work stoppage is legally possible upon 72 hours notice by either side. CEP has contacted Bell about returning to the bargaining table as soon as possible to resume negotiations, says the union release.
"Bell’s offer is riddled with concessions and we had no doubts that it would be rejected," says CEP Ontario administrative vice-president John Edwards. It’s just not acceptable that we should be expected to give up so much that we have fought for over many decades. Especially not when Bell is about to sell itself off to the Teacher’s as a $52 billion enterprise."
"Our goal is to negotiate a fair deal for our members and to avoid a strike or lock-out," adds CEP President Dave Coles.
As for Bell, it’s official line said the company “is disappointed that its offer was turned down,” and that it “will be evaluating next possible steps over the coming days. At this time, Bell is ready to enact contingency plans, if need be, to ensure customer service remains the company’s top priority,” reads the release.
"Since the start of bargaining in October 2007, Bell’s fundamental goal has been to reach an agreement that benefits customers, employees and the company, and avoids a work disruption," said Patrick Pichette, president, operations.
“First presented to the union on January 31, the proposed four-year contract included annual wage increases and preserved pension, benefits and job security. It also included changes to the previous collective agreement to reflect changing customer expectations,” continues the release.
These CEP-represented “Craft and Service” employees are technicians who mainly serve business customers in major urban centres of Ontario and Québec.
