Court grants temporary injunction against Telus’s return-to-office directive
August 09 2024 - 4:48PM
The United Steelworkers union (USW) is pleased that the
British Columbia Supreme Court has granted a temporary injunction
against Telus’s return-to-office mandate, putting the company’s
actions on hold temporarily.
On July 30, 2024, USW filed an urgent application with the
British Columbia Supreme Court seeking an injunction over the
return-to-office directive, which required approximately 1,000 USW
Local 1944 members nationwide to make a difficult choice between
accepting a Voluntary Severance Package (VSP), Early Retirement
Incentive Plans (ERIP) or returning to the office by Aug. 9,
2024.
On Aug. 8, 2024, the British Columbia Supreme Court granted
interim relief to protect workers from irreparable harm while USW
pursues relief through adjudication before an arbitrator.
“We are happy and relieved that the Court has granted
a temporary injunction,” said Michael Phillips, USW Local 1944
president. “This injunction will ensure that affected employees may
retain their rights under the existing work-from-home
policies for the time being and are not unfairly
pressured into making a decision that could lead to significant
personal and professional hardships.”
The injunction will remain in place until two months after an
arbitrator is selected and may be extended by agreement or further
order of the Court.
USW will move forward as expeditiously as possible to have the
grievances adjudicated before an arbitrator who will be selected by
the parties.
“We firmly believe the blanket return-to-office directive from
Telus violates the Collective Agreement and disproportionately
affects women, individuals with families and elder care
responsibilities and members with disabilities. We appreciate the
interim relief provided by the Court’s order and look forward to
pursuing a just outcome on this issue,” said Phillips.
About the United Steelworkers union
The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic
sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in
North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States
and the Caribbean.
Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because
of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and
more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working
conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits
and pensions.
For more information:Michael Phillips, USW Local 1944
President, michael.phillips@usw1944.ca, 604-818-7466Brett
Barden, USW Communications, bbarden@usw.ca, 604-445-6956