The date to count Telecom-munications Workers' Union (TWU) members' votes on a tentative agreement with Telus has been pushed back a week because of last minute corrections to the document. The vote count, which will determine whether Telus employees will return to work, was originally set for Oct. 23 and is now set for Oct. 30.
The TWU's bargaining committee is asking its members to vote yes to the contract, which would end a strike-lockout that's been ongoing since July 21. In a message to TWU members posted on its website, TWU president Bruce Bell wrote that the agreement "is the best that we can achieve under the current circumstances."
"Clearly the tentative agreement does not include everything we were fighting for," Bell wrote. "But we are convinced that we have negotiated certain protections for our members and that our prospects for further success will not improve by continuing to wage the labour dispute."
The listed gains for members include five-year job protection for clerical and operator services, no pension penalties from the dispute, salary increases and lump sum payments, voluntary buy-out packages or re-location for affected members and pay equity claim settlement.
The TWU was originally asking for job protection against the company contracting out workers, while Telus was seeking flexibility to compete in the industry.
Until the votes come in Oct. 30, pickets will remain up across B.C. and Alberta, including Gibsons, Sechelt, Madeira Park and flying pickets on the Coast. Telus and the TWU declined to comment on the draft agreement until it has been ratified.
