In our June 22nd update, we reported that our Negotiating Committee was pleased with the progress made during the first week of conciliation and looking forward to continuing discussions with Bell this week. Unfortunately, this week did not unfold as intended, and instead of continuing with meetings, Bell advised yesterday that it is not in a position to meet at this time, requiring more time to consider and respond to our outstanding proposals. The parties have agreed to recommence negotiations at the next available opportunity; however, due to scheduling constraints and prior commitments (on both sides), these meetings will not occur until the beginning of October (4th – 7th). The conciliation period will be extended until midnight, October 7th, and Bell has agreed to postpone the threat of termination of our Collective Agreement (CA) until October 8th.
Below is the revised conciliation/mediation timeline, including the potential termination of our CA (keeping in mind the conciliation/mediation time-periods may still be extended by mutual agreement):
- May 25 to October 7, 2022: The conciliator meets with the parties to review the outstanding issues and attempts to bring the parties closer together.
- October 8 to October 28, 2022: Should the parties fail to reach an agreement through conciliation, a 21-day cooling off period begins, during which time the Minister can appoint a mediator. At the end of the cooling off period the parties are in a legal strike/lockout position.
- October 9, 2022: Bell can terminate the CA and unilaterally impose changes to the terms and conditions of TEAM members’ employment.
- October 29 to November 1, 2022: 72-hour notice is required prior to the commencement of a strike or lockout. A union must have taken a strike vote before initiating any strike action.
Although TEAM’s Negotiating Committee was eager to build on the progress of last week, it is viewed as a positive sign that Bell is taking time to further consider and better understand all of our remaining proposals. It is our hope and desire when the parties meet next that meaningful discussion will occur on outstanding issues and the parties will reach a tentative agreement that our Negotiating Committee can present to the members.
In the meantime, we will be keeping a close eye on developments in the current round of collective agreement negotiations between Bell and clerical employees in Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces represented by Unifor, as those negotiations heat up and head into a crucial period, with the Ontario and Quebec bargaining units moving into a legal strike/lockout position as early as August 6th.
We understand that Bell recently sent out a communication to some employees here in Manitoba regarding contingency planning in the event of a lockout or strike, and we would like to take this opportunity to remind members that as a unionized employee, you have the right to refuse to perform the work of striking or locked out employees, and as a union, we would not appreciate our bargaining position being weakened by other unionized employees performing our work. The Company cannot threaten, coerce, or intimidate you to do the work of striking or locked out employees. The Canada Labour Code Section 94.3(c) states that no employer shall:
(c) suspend, discharge or impose any financial or other penalty on an employee, or take any other disciplinary action against an employee, by reason of their refusal to perform all or some of the duties and responsibilities of another employee who is participating in a strike or subject to a lockout that is not prohibited by this Part;
In the event you feel like you are being intimidated, threatened, or coerced into performing work of striking or locked out employees, please document the incident and contact the TEAM Office as soon as possible.