TORONTO, Jan. 24, 2012 /CNW/ - "Another callous move by an employer that treats its workforce like pawns on a chess board."
That reaction from Barb Dolan, the Ontario Administrative Vice-President of the union representing some 400 Bell Canada workers who learned today that their jobs were being cut or moved to another city.
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) represents the 65 workers who will be laid off in Ottawa, as well as the 300 clerical employees and 23 technicians whose jobs will be moved from Scarborough and downtown Toronto to the Bell campus in Mississauga.
"Our members in Ottawa, many with years of loyal service, feel like they're being dumped on a trash heap," says Dolan. "In Toronto, our members are on pins and needles, as hundreds of families will be uprooted to follow jobs that may be two hours away. Many will be unable to make that kind of commute."
"We continue to see companies, such as Bell Canada, moving work anywhere they like -- including out of the country -- to increase their bottom line. It's time for governments at all levels to take responsibility and stand up for their constituents and their families.
"Moving work out of province and offshore is an attempt to bust the union and destroy the hard-fought gains of Canadian workers," says Dolan.
CEP is the largest union in many key sectors of the Canadian economy, including, forestry, media and telecommunications, oil, gas, chemical, mining and construction.
Barb Dolan 416-998-3954
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