Telus has offered a majority of its unionized employees a voluntary severance package, United Steelworkers (USW), Local 1944 says.
In an online post, the union says Telus has offered 4,000 of its members throughout Canada the package, a figure that has jumped from 2,000 in recent weeks.
Telus previously told MobileSyrup that the company “made significant investments in customer service technology and self-serve capabilities” to give customers more options. This resulted in the company offering some of its team members the voluntary severance package program.
But the union is refuting these claims, stating customers need reputable customer assistance that requires a “local employee.”
“Telus customer service is already in chaos due to poor workplace systems, inadequate employee training, sales pressurization at the expense of service, eliminating onshore union employees, and sub-par contractor work quality. These job cuts will only make a terrible situation worse,” the union’s online message states.
The union says it is actively lobbying politicians to maintain telecom quality and protect jobs by stopping Telus from offering such packages.
“Telus cannot declare war on the Canadian economy and expect to be seen as a positive contributor to Canadian society. Telus cannot be allowed to sell out the quality of the services they provide while acting like they are doing so due to the demands of customers.”
In an emailed response, Telus told MobileSyrup:
“This is the same voluntary program that was previously announced. Canadians increasingly want digital, convenient, and easy-to-use self-serve options, and as industry leaders in customer experience, we’ve made significant investments in technology and self-serve capabilities to provide our customers with more service options, which includes speaking to a customer support representative.”
Updated June 13th, 2023, 1:38pm ET: The article has been updated with a response from Telus.
Source: USW, Local 1944
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