Manitoba Jobs a Priority for TEAM's AGM
On Wednesday, November 17, 2021, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for TEAM/IFPTE Local 161 took place virtually, once again taking full advantage of the products and services offered by Local members at Bell Canada. The membership has been dealing with the extensive workload the COVID-19 pandemic has added to the telecommunications industry. TEAM President, Mike Taylor, presented an overview of the current challenges facing the membership. In his annual report he highlighted the continued downsizing Bell Canada has undertaken since its acquisition of MTS in 2016, this time 39 positions in February and an additional 5 announced just recently. Also highlighted was the Local’s push for national Bell jobs in Manitoba by filing policy grievances in response to the February downsizing. The company responded by posting more national jobs with Winnipeg being a possible work location. President Taylor went further:
“We also know that in many cases, the business wants to bring the work here – they know we have skilled people here who can do it, and in many areas TEAM members are working daily alongside non-unionized Bell employees outside of Manitoba - it’s not only possible, it’s already happening and there is no good reason for why it cannot happen more. COVID has changed the landscape of the workplace by making remote work possible - many jobs can literally now be done from anywhere – so why not here, in Manitoba? If the job can be done from basically every other major Bell work location across Canada, then why not here, in Manitoba? If the answer is because we’re unionized in Manitoba, that’s discrimination.”
TEAM Local 161 Executive Director, Erin Spencer, and Labour Relations Officer, Alyssa Hung, have been coordinating with Cochrane Saxberg LLP to ensure Bell Canada lives up to its commitments to Manitoba.
IFPTE President Matt Biggs was invited to bring greetings on behalf of IFPTE and highlighted the immense effort TEAM Local 161 members undertook to ensure our communities kept functioning at the height of the pandemic. TEAM members stepped up and in turn are due the respect they earned. President Biggs outlined the massive profits Bell Canada took in during the pandemic and said it’s time for Bell to do better for its employees:
“Bell can be better at recognizing the value of Manitoba workers and what they bring to the national company. Bell can be better at acknowledging that unionized employees are a good thing for the company and the economy in Manitoba. Bell can be better at increasing their workforce to help decrease the workloads of existing employees. Bell can be better than offering past wage increases of 1.5%, as inflation increases. Bell can be better because TEAM Local 161 can and does make Bell better.”
IFPTE will continue to work with TEAM to ensure those gains are realized at the bargaining table and in the halls of power. IFPTE will also utilize its strengths in the political world to ensure Bell Canada’s commitments to Manitoba aren’t only highlighted in the labour relations world. IFPTE is proud to fight on behalf of its members and today’s AGM set the stage for battles to come.