TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Union Protest Planned for Bell Canada Shareholders

Union Protest Planned for Bell Canada Shareholders

Nigel Allen (ndallen@interlog.com)
Tue, 5 Jun 2007 22:13:29 -0400

The following press release was issued by the Canadian
Telecommunications Employees' Association, the union which represents
clerical staff (but not technicians or operators) at Bell Canada. I do
not work for or belong to the CTEA, but I thought that the press
release might be of interest.

Text of the press release can be found at

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2007/05/c9089.html

Protest at Bell Canada Shareholders' meeting

MONTREAL, June 5 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Telecommunications
Employees' Association (CTEA) will attend BCE Annual Meeting of
Shareholders to protest against the slashing of benefits for future
pensioners and the outsourcing of jobs.

"Bell's strategy is clear: cutting costs at the expense of its
employees, protested Line Brisson, Chairman of the CTEA Bargaining
Committee. But the Company won't get back on track by slashing the
working conditions of employees."

In 2005, clerical employees accepted wage freezes to help the Company
face the competition. In exchange, Bell had signed a memorandum of
agreement on job security.

"Bell Canada is taking all possible means to bypass the memorandum of
agreement and increase outsourcing: reduced work hours, cutting
temporary jobs, closing sites... Our members feel they have been
cheated", added Mrs. Brisson.

In 2006, the speech on the abusive use of outsourcing delivered by
Danny Taurozzi, CTEA Vice-President, before Michael Sabia, President
of BCE, had been applauded by several shareholders.

The BCE Annual Meeting will be held on June 6, 2007 in Montreal. "Once
again, we will be there to speak on behalf of our members and denounce
the unfair decisions of senior management. The shareholders must be
told what's going on", concluded Mrs. Brisson.

About the CTEA:

The CTEA is an independent union certified in the 1940s by the
Canadian Labour Relations Board to represent employees of Bell
Canada. Over the years, the CTEA has been certified as the bargaining
representative for several groups of employees working for employers
such as Comtech, Bell Aliant, ACMS (Amdocs), Télébec S.E.C., Yellow
Pages Group, and Bell ICT Outsourcing Solutions inc.

For further information: In Quebec: Line Brisson, CTEA Vice-President,
(514) 861-9963 ext. 233, Fax: (514) 861-5985, lbrisson@acet-ctea.com;
In Ontario: Brenda Knight, CTEA President, (613) 521-3289, Fax: (613)
521-3267, bknight@acet-ctea.com; http://www.acet-ctea.com

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