TORONTO – Bell Canada is threatening to close installation and maintenance subsidiary Expertech if workers do not accept certain concessions, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union said Monday.
CEP represents the technicians and clerical workers at Expertech, who are presently in contract negotiations with the company "and denounces the major concession demands put forward by management at the negotiation table," says the CEP press release.
"After getting rid of 5000 operators and hundreds of technicians when Entourage was created, Bell is now threatening a complete closure of its subsidiary Expertech if the Union members do not accept the concession demands. This would result in the loss of 1378 jobs across Ontario and Quebec. There are 708 technicians and 102 clerical workers in Ontario."
Bell already lived through a 16-week strike in 2005 at its Entourage installation and repair unit.
Bell Canada is the major shareholder of Expertech with 75% of shares and SNC Lavalin holds the remaining 25%. Bell is the major client of Expertech "and has decided to cut 200 million dollars of Expertech’s 400 million dollar annual business by transferring back the control of civil contracts, engineering and equipment management," says the union. "Moreover, Bell is forcing upon Expertech an unrealistic cost structure by imposing an additional cut of 50 million dollars of which 30 million dollars is in labour costs which will be transferred directly to the employees represented by CEP."
"To attain these objectives, Expertech has already laid-off 120 clerical workers in Québec and Ontario and contemplates a further cut of 400 technicians while reducing by 44% the salaries of a third of the remaining unionized employees. As well, the employer wishes to cut drastically the employees’ benefits and working conditions. Bell Canada threatens the Union with the closure of its subsidiary and the contracting-out to other firms of all its operations if the concessions demanded are not accepted," says the release.
"This unprecedented attack is totally unacceptable. It is indecent and dishonest for a company like Bell Canada who generates earnings of hundreds of millions of dollars, to attack its employees through their working conditions," said John Edwards, CEP – Ontario administrative vice-president. "Bell’s officials are so obsessed by figures and profits that they forget to consider the social impact and cost which these job losses will have in Ontario."
"(T)he union will certainly not allow Bell Canada to sweep away the benefits gained by workers throughout the years," he continued.
