Telus tells Ontario call centre workers to relocate or risk losing their job
Telus Corp. has informed around 150 call centre employees based in Ontario they must relocate by October, apply for another role or agree to be laid off.
The union representing those workers, United Steelworkers Local 1944, said it was informed Tuesday that affected employees would have the option of working in Montreal, calling it a “backdoor termination” by Telus in an attempt to reduce the company’s head count.
The move is part of a larger reorganization announced internally on Wednesday. It will require around 1,000 call centre employees across the country, who have been working remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic began, to return to the office three days a week starting in September.
But customer service agents in Ontario won’t have a local office to return to because Telus is closing its Barrie location, which housed its Ontario contact centre, “following a thoughtful review of our real estate,” said spokeswoman Brandi Merker.
“We’ve been on a journey to evolve our customer service, increasingly offering digital and self-serve options that continue to decrease call volumes,” she said in an emailed statement.
“As part of this evolution, we’re investing in our frontline team members with training, reskilling and new tools that modernize our capabilities so that when customers do need to call us for more complex situations, their issue is resolved the first time, every time.”
Merker said those who accept relocation will receive financial support, while the voluntary separation package being offered exceeds the requirements of the Canada Labour Code.
“While we hope our team is excited to evolve and grow with us, we know this is a change to the way we work today, and in particular, represents a significant personal
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