NewsRead, shake your head and weep!
Interesting to note that in the 5th parargraph it would appear that BCE is singing from the same hymn book as Entwistle has been the past three plus years! And with far more than 62% oppostion by the TWU membership?
Bell Canada Statement on CEP Vote
MONTREAL, July 12 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell Canada was informed today by the
Communications, Energy and Paperworkers' Union of Canada (CEP) that 62.3 per cent of Bell technicians who voted have rejected Bell's offer of June 17 to renew the collective agreement. Of Bell's 7,097 technicians, 3,524 voted to reject the offer.
Bell believes that its June 17th offer is fair and comprehensive and addresses the major priorities identified by the union as important to its membership. The offer includes maintaining job security, the reclassification of part-time employees to full-time employees, more flexible benefits, incentives for advanced training, and a generous voluntary early retirement program (that builds on an attractive pension plan) for which 2,500 technicians would be eligible and that provides the majority of these employees with 70% income replacement.
The company is also offering Bell technicians - who earn on average $62,700 per year - an immediate salary increase of up to 2.5%, an additional 2.5% increase in July 2005, a $500 signing bonus and up to $1,010 in lump sum payments.
"We are disappointed that our technicians have voted against the renewal of the collective agreement, given the generous offer we have put on the table," said Ellen Malcolmson, Senior Vice-President - Operations, Bell Canada.
"Our industry has changed and changed permanently. The union needs to recognize the realities of the current marketplace. In this highly competitive environment, there are limits to how far the company can go in meeting the demands of the union. We believe our effort to meet the union's priorities achieves a balanced result for both employees and the company in a way that allows us to best serve our customers and remain competitive."
Although the company's offer was rejected by a relatively modest margin, the vote gives the CEP a mandate to strike at any time following a 72-hour notice period. Bell Canada believes that outstanding issues with the union are best resolved through the negotiating process and it is now up to the union to indicate its intentions to the company.
Bell's highest priority will be maintaining service to its customers. The company has fully prepared for a potential work disruption and is implementing a number of measures to ensure customers continue to receive the service that they have come to expect from Bell. In particular, the company has trained over 4,600 of its management employees to replace the technicians in the event of a work disruption and will be training many more in the days to come.