VANCOUVER – The union representing 6,800 Telus workers across the country said Monday it has reached a tentative agreement with the telecom giant after a meeting with company executives over the weekend.
The bargaining committee of the United Steelworkers Local 1944 said in a blog post that it will recommend members ratify the offer made by Telus. It has scheduled meetings to run from March 13 to 15.
“This has been a long and difficult process,” the post said. “The resolve of your Bargaining Committee and, most importantly, the support of the membership have resulted in a settlement that would allow us to move forward without a labour dispute.”
The offer is for five years and three months with the end-date of March 31, 2027 moved up seven months. The compensation includes a 3 per cent increase upon ratification, a 2.5 per cent increase in October 2023, and a 2 per cent increase in each of October 2024, October 2025 and October 2026.
The representative lump sums for the year are $5000 on ratification and $5000 in October 2023 for those working more than 50 per cent of full-time hours, with those numbers halved for those working 50 per cent or less of full-time hours.
The tentative deal came just days before a strike vote. Earlier this month, the union was seeking that strike vote after members rejected Telus’s final offer.
The two sides have been in on-again, off-again deliberations for a new labour agreement since October 2021.
