Ericsson Layoffs in Canada Hit Former Rogers Cell Tower Workers

Ericsson has cut roughly 100 technical jobs in Canada as part of its ongoing effort to streamline costs and merge local operations with its global workforce.

The layoffs were announced to employees on Monday, with final work days set for October 31. Workers were told they would receive severance packages and job transition support. The cuts mainly affect staff in Ericsson’s national operations and technical support centres.

These employees had previously worked for Rogers, maintaining the company’s cellular towers. Earlier this year, about 400 Rogers technicians and managers were told they could either accept severance or transfer to Ericsson, which became a contractor for Rogers in April.

Ericsson spokesperson Nathan Gibson said the changes are meant to better align Canadian operations with its global model. “Ericsson remains committed to our ongoing investment in our Canadian operations and serving our customers,” he said in an e-mail to the Globe and Mail. the publication cites unnamed sources that puts the job cuts at 100 employees.

The company added that work will be “distributed across centralized global hubs,” but did not provide details on where the roles would be shifted.

A Rogers spokesperson did not comment on the move, only to direct us to the Globe story and Ericsson’s statement.

Unionization efforts are also underway. The United Steelworkers Local 1944 has filed a certification application with the Federal Labour Board to represent 200 of the former Rogers employees who moved to Ericsson. Union president Michael Phillips said 37 of the employees laid off Monday had signed union cards just last week.

“This situation isn’t just about corporate restructuring—it’s about broken trust, poor communication, and the human cost of business decisions. The lack of transparency and empathy in how these layoffs were handled is especially jarring. It’s also a cautionary tale about outsourcing critical operations without delivering promised tools or maintaining service reliability,” claimed an anonymous email from a former Rogers worker that was part of the fallout, addressed to iPhone in Canada and other media outlets.

Back in April, Rogers employees reached out to law firm Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, saying the company told them to join Ericsson or quit. The infamous 2021 Rogers outage was previously blamed on an Ericsson software update.

Managers who shifted from Rogers to Ericsson earlier this year were not affected by this round of layoffs.