Approximately 300 former Shaw technicians, now part of Rogers after the merger, have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike.
The workers are based in Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, and Langley. The vote comes amid concerns about job security following recent layoffs and voluntary departures.
“The job losses raise questions about Rogers’ commitment to creating 3,000 new jobs in Western Canada,” said Jayson Little, spokesperson for United Steelworkers union Local 1944, reports The Vancouver Sun. This commitment was a federally mandated condition of Rogers’ $26-billion acquisition of Shaw.
In July, Rogers began offering voluntary departure packages and confirmed an unspecified number of layoffs as part of its integration with Shaw. The company aimed to eliminate job duplication but has not provided immediate comment on the strike vote.
The union claims that Rogers is attempting to undermine contractual language that prevents technicians’ work from being outsourced to contractors. Union members have received a 99.6% strike mandate in a recent vote and could walk off the job by late October if an agreement is not reached.
Negotiations between Rogers and the union have been ongoing since February. The union’s members are currently working under the terms of their previous collective agreement, which expired on March 23.
