Union applies for injunction against Telus over forced return-to-office

The United Steelworkers union (USW) is seeking an injunction from the B.C. Supreme Court against Telus’ return-to-office directive that would force some Barrie, Ontario workers to relocate to Montreal or lose their jobs.

The USW asked the court to hear its application on an expedited basis. The hearing will be held on August 7th. The union argued that Telus’ proposed changes “will inflict irreparable harm on its employees and highlights the impact on women, individuals with families, elder care and members with disabilities.”

The injunction would restrain Telus from forcing employees to pick between a voluntary severance package, early retirement incentive plans, or returning to the office. It would also alter impacted employee’s ability to work remotely based on existing work-from-home arrangements already in place.

The filing follows two rallies held over the weekend against Telus’ closure of the Ontario call centre and its return-to-office directive.

As a quick refresher, Telus implemented a return-to-office directive for its call centre employees but also decided to close a call centre based in Barrie, Ontario. The closure left 150 employees in a lurch, forced to pick between relocating to Montreal, taking a voluntary severance or early retirement package, or trying to find other employment with Telus that wouldn’t require relocation. Telus plans to offer financial support to employees who choose to relocate, while those who choose separation packages can expect 18 months of wages and possible bonuses based on seniority.

Telus decided to close the Barrie office after a “thoughtful review of [its] real estate.”