Bargaining Unit members in Alberta and British Columbia are losing their jobs, not only through outsourcing to other countries but to contractors employed by companies such as LTS and ATI.

 TELUS employees are being declared surplus while contractors perform work such as installation and repair, ADSL 2+ migration, clerical, dispatch and technician work. These contract employees have unfettered access to TELUS buildings, warehouse supplies and computer systems. They have similar protocols, standards and policies, apparel, carry TELUS ID’s and Business cards and their vehicles are identified by the TELUS logo.

 The TWU has filed a complaint with the CIRB against TELUS and Ledcor’s LTS Group alleging that TELUS is the true employer of the “contractor Ledcor’s employees”. We believe the employees appearing to work for LTS are, in reality, the same as regular TELUS employees. It is only a matter of form that the entity “LTS” is being used in an attempt to disguise the real situation. TELUS and Ledcor Group were served with the proceedings on June 22, 2009.

In a separate proceeding before the BC Labour Board CLAC has applied to be certified as the bargaining agent for some of the LTS/Ledcor contractors working in the Kelowna area. Lawyers for the TWU will appear at the hearing in Vancouver on June 24th to argue that the matter is properly before the CIRB.

Please support the TWU by signing the online petition at www.keepjobsincanada.ca and letting the government know how you feel about corporations like TELUS who continue to send jobs offshore.