OTTAWA – Michael Sabia, chairman of Bell Canada Enterprises, got some extra mail this morning.
Thousands of cards calling on Bell to settle a decade old claim for pay equity by telephone operators were delivered to BCE headquarters by members and officers of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada during a rally by hundreds of people this morning, says the union.
The cards were signed over the past few months by Western Canadians “who are protesting the fact that Bell is spending $200 million on sponsoring the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver while refusing to equitably settle pay equity for operators,” says the press release.
"Bell is making a major marketing push into Western Canada and one of the first things it did was connect its name to the Olympic Games. Western Canadians are telling Bell that they have their priorities mixed up – they should settle pay equity before spending all that money on making themselves look good," said Brian Payne, president of the 162,000 member CEP.
"We have been fighting for pay equity for operators since 1992 and we will continue to fight until we gain justice for these women workers," Payne added.
The cards were delivered to BCE headquarters by CEP western region vice-president Dave Coles who vowed to expand the effort amongst consumers until Bell settles the CEP claim for equity.
"If Bell wants us to subscribe to their services in the West, they have to deal with this issue first," Coles said.
Quebec region vice-president Michel Ouimet called on Bell to "immediately" negotiate a fair settlement for the 5,000 affected people. "Our members have waited far too long for justice. It is time now for Bell to realize that we will never give up this battle until they negotiated an equitable settlement," Ouimet told the rally.
For the better part of 10 years, Bell has been fighting the rulings of a number of bodies (including the courts) which have said the company owes millions of dollars in back-pay equity to female workers who were found to have been underpaid by the company over the years.
