MONTREAL – Technicians at Expertech Network Installation Inc. ratified Monday the five-year collective agreement reached with management earlier this month, preventing closure of the company that handles equipment installations for Bell Canada.
The deal includes a wage freeze with just a 2% raise in the fifth year for class ii technicians, salary increases of 8% over the five years for class I technicians, a guarantee that 90% of Bell’s work will be given to Expertech technicians and the reassignment of 125 Expertech workers on a Bell network preventative maintenance project.
About 79% of Expertech’s technicians, members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), who voted officially approved the tentative deal today.
With the agreement, Expertech management said the company will be able to “restructure its business, thereby ensuring its viability and saving more than 1,000 jobs” in Quebec and Ontario.
“Our new cost structure means we will be able to reduce our prices on average by 25%, bringing them in line with industry rates. We now have the competitive edge we need to retain our current customers and win new business,” said Expertech president and CEO Jacques Robichon.
The deal also allows Expertech to maintain its preferred supplier relationship with its main customer, Bell Canada, and renew its service contract with Bell for another five years.
The parties began their negotiations last fall. At the end of February when workers rejected the company’s “final” contract proposal, Expertech threatened to close its doors. A few days later, last-ditch bargaining resulted in the tentative agreement.
Owned 75% by Bell and 25% by SNC-Lavalin, Expertech provides network infrastructure services to some of North America’s largest telecommunications companies.
