The Executive Council met last week in Edmonton where journalists were invited to hear the Telecommunications Workers Union's (TWU) response to TELUS' outsourcing activities.

TELUS workers in Alberta were recently hit hard by the closing of the Retail Operator Services in Edmonton and news that the Mobility Channel Care Office in Calgary will also be closing within the next six to nine months. TELUS continues to cut costs to improve profits, slashing even more jobs in Canadian communities at a time of rapidly rising unemployment.

Your Executive Council held a Strategy session in Edmonton in conjunction with our regular meeting.  Plans were made on two major initiatives. The public awareness Campaign regarding the off-shoring of Canadian jobs is one of those.

In light of TELUS' increasing restructuring activities, we fully recognize the need for a strong presence in the media to express the TWU's position and to raise public awareness about the issue of off-shoring of jobs. We appreciate all of your comments and suggestions. 

We are all very excited about a new Public Awareness campaign that is set to launch nationally at the beginning of May 2009.  More information will be made available in the coming days and weeks leading up to the launch.  The goal of the campaign is to inform the media and public regarding the off-shoring of Canadian jobs and its impact on our communities. This is not just a TWU issue. It is an issue of concern to all Canadians.

The first phase of the campaign, a letter writing campaign to the Prime Minister and Labour Minister, is still going strong. Please go to the site http://petition.web.net/twu/node/2 and forward the template letter to your family and friends.

The second important development was the planning and budgeting for the next phase of our Membership Outreach Program.  This phase includes the training of local activists and members in preparation for bargaining in 2010.  Plans are well advanced for training courses and events to take place from coast to coast this fall.  The goal is to have all members connected and informed by the time that we elect our TELUS Bargaining Committee.  Those elections will take place at our 2010 Convention in Ottawa, January 31st to February 5th.

More information and details of these important initiatives will be released in the near future.  We encourage everyone to visit the TWU Web site daily (www.twu-canada.ca), read the Hotline, Transmitter and bulletins, attend local meetings, and call your local shop steward. 

In Solidarity,
George Doubt, TWU National President