Hello members,

Today, USW Local 1944 along with USW filed an urgent application with the British Columbia Supreme Court seeking an injunction against the return-to-office directive from Telus.

 We are requesting interim relief to protect the rights of affected workers who are facing the difficult choice between accepting a Voluntary Severance Package, returning to the office, or even being redeployed to another province. We have asked the court to expedite the hearing, which is scheduled for August 7, 2024.

Our argument is that the proposed changes by Telus will cause irreparable harm to our members, particularly women, individuals with families, those responsible for elder care, and members with disabilities. “The impact of these changes on our members cannot be overstated,” said Jayson Little, USW staff representative. “We are deeply concerned about the discriminatory and disproportionate effects on vulnerable groups within our membership and we believe that the actions from Telus are in direct violation of the very laws designed to protect workers.”

We are seeking a court order to restrain Telus from forcing employees to choose between the VSP and returning to the office, and to maintain the current work-from-home arrangements. Our goal is to ensure that affected employees retain their rights under the existing policies and are not unfairly pressured into making decisions that could lead to significant personal and professional hardships.

This legal action follows two rallies held this past weekend in Toronto and Burnaby, B.C., where hundreds of members gathered to protest the Telus Ontario Call Centre closures and the return-to-office directive.

“Telus’ actions are a severe, unnecessary hardship to members,” said Local 1944 President Michael Phillips, “and we will do everything in our power to ensure that our rights as working people are enforced.”

We will keep you updated on further developments.

In Solidarity,

USW Local 1944