Both Telus and the Telecommunications Work-ers Union (TWU) have increased their manpower on the Coast since their labour dispute began in July.
With workers returning from their holidays and workers visiting from off-Coast, the number of TWU members out picketing has increased.
At the start of the dispute, there were about eight or nine picketers. Now there are 19, according to union member and cable maintenance worker Jim Brown. The picket lines in Gibsons, Sechelt and Madeira Park have spread to mobile or "flying" pickets, with some days having two flying pickets out following management to job sites. The Coast hasn't seen the conflicts happening in the Lower Mainland between workers and management on the picket lines and in flying pickets. As well, no workers have been arrested on the Coast for breaching a B.C. Supreme Court injunction to stay five car lengths away from Telus vehicles while picketing.
With management trying to keep up with service calls, Telus has hired temporary, non-union replacement workers, some from Ontario.
"These individuals are being used to supplement our customer service tasks," said Bruce Okabe, Telus' vice-president of business solutions. There are a very small number of replacement workers in the field helping the existing managers, with some having worked for Telus before on contracts, Okabe said. Hiring replacement workers is within the company's rights under federal legislation, he added.
But TWU spokesperson Sid Shniad said the company has hired a large number of replacement workers. The union is trying to get the company to cut back on the replacement workers because they're doing union members' work, Shniad said.
Brown said having replacement workers could mean the dispute could go on for longer.
The dispute, which Telus is calling a strike and the union is calling a lockout, began July 21 when workers refused to accept Telus' imposed new collective agreement. Since then, both sides say no progress has been made on reaching an agreement.
"The only way there will be progress is if the CIRB [Canada Industrial Relations Board] orders binding arbitration," Brown said. "We're at a stalemate."
But Okabe said Telus made an offer to the union several weeks ago to discuss a Supreme Court decision around former Clearnet employees, but the union refused to sit down with them.
"We've offered many dates and many times, but so far to no avail," Okabe said.
Another issue that's come up is some workers having minuses on their pay stubs for medical/dental benefits. Brown said having benefits taken away seems like intimidation.
But Okabe said the company generously decided to continue providing benefits to its workers during the dispute. Some benefits plans require the employee to contribute a share, which accounts for the minuses, he said.
"Anyone who says this is an intimidation tactic is sadly mistaken," Okabe said.
Since the dispute began, TWU executives have switched their cell phones to Rogers.
"We've switched to Rogers so any financial remuneration will go to a company that's not trying to break its union," Shniad said.
