TORONTO – Approximately 600 Rogers telephone and television technicians who service customers across Ontario are set to walk off the job starting June 15, their union said Friday.
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) said that it has been at the bargaining table with two of the four contractors for more than a year trying to hammer out a first collective agreement. The contractors are Intek Communications, Wirecomm Systems, SC360 Markham and Dependable Home Tech Scarborough.
CEP said that the one of the key issues is that the companies, contractors of Rogers Communications, pay their employees on a piece-work system. Other concerns include employer claw-back systems, seniority, layoff and recall procedures, and work assignment.
"We will negotiate right up until the strike deadline and make every attempt to reach a settlement," said CEP's Ontario region VP Kim Ginter, in a statement. “But we have a strong strike mandate from a group of workers who are fed up with enduring financial challenges and unreliable employment continuity."
