Mexico, Canadian and US telco unions join forces against outsourcing, deregulation

MEXICO CITY, March 7, 2013 /CNW/ - Canada's largest telecommunications union has organized a tri-national conference of telecom unions that begins today in Mexico City to work on strategies for reversing what Dave Coles says is "growing job insecurity and poor working conditions faced by telco workers in North America."

Coles, the president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada is joined by labour leaders from Mexico's Sindicato telefonistas, and the U.S. Communications Workers of America.

"We are up against unprecedented corporate greed that tramples the rights of workers and we intend to fight back on legal and political fronts," says Coles. "The excessive deregulated market power of a few telco companies has resulted in off-shoring of thousands of jobs and increased foreign ownership."

"The result is good jobs being lost or replaced with low-wage jobs, and lower quality of service to customers, as employers seek to avoid even the most basic labour standards."

The three largest telecom unions in North America together represent more than 260,000 workers in the industry. The tri-national conference ends this Friday.

SOURCE: COMMUNICATIONS, ENERGY AND PAPERWORKERS UNION OF CANADA

Dave Coles [phone]