February 4, 2021 - The Union has heard from call centre agents that there were issues with Christmas 2020 Holiday coding (please refer to the Acting President’s Messages on January 8 and January 22). At this time, we are seeking information, including from members, to determine if other work groups are affected. The Company has taken a final position that members have been made whole by having been given a Holiday Banked Forward instead of paying Statutory Holiday Premium Pay for time worked on December 28th, 2020.
The Company’s practice in call centers is that, well before the event, they canvass for people to volunteer to work on the day being observed as the Holiday, or in the case of a Holiday falling during the work week, on the actual day of the Holiday.
Since scheduling was moved offshore, errors have on occasions been made. Previously when an error was made, such as Remembrance Day 2017, the canvass to work was for Monday, November 13th, 2017. Days before the Holiday, an email was sent stating there had been an error, and only those working November 11th would receive Premium Holiday Pay. Within days, the company resolved the issue. This was done by giving people a choice of either being paid Holiday Premium Pay on the 13th or the 11th, but not for both days.
To our knowledge, there has never been a canvass to work on a Saturday for Premium Holiday Pay. When the Union advised Telus that there were issues with the December 26th, 2020 Holiday, the company’s response was that anyone who worked December 26th (the Saturday) would be paid Premium Holiday Pay, and those who were force booked or volunteered to work on December 28th would be compensated with a Holiday Banked Forward.
Your Union disagrees with this.
Examples of Statutory Holiday Premium Pay are needed for the following dates:
- Dec 28th, 2015
- June 26th, 2017 (St-Jean-Baptiste Day Appendix B for the East)
- July 3rd, 2017
If you keep written or screen shot records of your schedule please check the above dates. Your records will assist us in proving the error of the Company’s current position that they have never paid Statutory Holiday Premium Pay for a Statutory Holiday falling on a Saturday, where the following Monday was deemed the Holiday. This is an important issue to reach a resolve on, as in 2021 Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on a Saturday.
Please forward a picture of your schedule for the above dates as well as your pay stub to contact@usw1944.ca.
The Union was able to reach a resolve for members that were coded incorrectly as vacation time on December 25th, 26th 2020, and January 1st, 2021. The Company has agreed to correct the coding and give back the vacation allotments. Please check your schedule to ensure your coding has been corrected and that you have been given back that vacation time previously incorrectly coded. If your schedule has not been corrected or your vacation allotment not updated, please contact your manager and if no resolve is reached please contact a Shop Steward for assistance.
In Solidarity,
USW Local 1944
