More than 800 team members live the frontline experience
In 2011, TELUS introduced a new program called Closer to the Customer to help deliver on our future friendly brand promise to clients.
Labour relations
The role of our unions
TELUS team members across Canada are represented by five different unions: the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU), the Syndicat Québecois des employés de TELUS (SQET), the Syndicat des agents de maîtrise de TELUS (SAMT), the BC Government and Services Employees' Union (BCGEU) and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Union representation
| Group | Bargaining unit |
Management and professionals |
Total |
% unionized |
|
| TELUS wireline | 8,971 | 8,249 | 17,220 |
 52% |
|
| TELUS wireless | 3,425 | 5,766 | 9,191 |
37% |
|
| TELUS International | 0 | 8,401 | 8,401 |
0% |
|
| Total1 | 12,396 | 22,416 | 34,812 | 36% |
1 As at December 31, 2010.
Collective bargaining
TELUS and the TWU successfully concluded collective bargaining reaching a tentative agreement on April 11, 2011 which was subsequently ratified by eighty per cent of the union members. The new collective bargaining agreement, which covers team members in the wireline and wireless businesses across Canada, came into effect on June 9, 2011 and expires on December 31, 2015. Highlights of the new agreement include improved hours of work and scheduling provisions for frontline customer experience team members, improved ability to re-engage retired team members and provisions to enable continued participation in TELUS’ At Home Agent and Work Styles programs.
The current collective agreement with the SAMT, covering approximately 520 professional and supervisory team members in Quebec, remains in effect until December 31, 2011.
A new collective agreement was reached with the SQET in August 2010, covering approximately 840 trades, clerical and operator services team members in TELUS’ wireline operations in Quebec. The new agreement is in effect until December 31, 2014. Highlights of the new agreement include improvements to contracting out with improved transfer and voluntary severance plans for affected team members, introduction of common interest forums between TELUS and SQET and adoption of the corporate flexible benefit plan.
In 2010, TELUS Sourcing Solutions Inc. successfully renegotiated both of its collective agreements. The new agreement with the BCGEU, covering approximately 60 team members expires on April 30, 2013 and the new agreement with CUPE, which covers about 20 team members, expires on December 31, 2012.
Bargaining unit team members by union affiliation
Common Interest Forum
Common Interest Forums, now included in the TELUS-TWU and the TELUS-SQET collective agreements, are designed to encourage dialogue between the company and the union. The two parties discuss issues such as industry developments, corporate strategy, growth of the business and staffing requirements. In addition to ongoing dialogue at the executive level, TELUS senior leadership and the TWU formally met once during 2010 under the terms of the Common Interest Forum agreement.
TELUS endeavours to provide notice to its unions and affected bargaining unit team members pertaining to operational changes such as contracting out, technological change and mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. Notice requirements of such changes are contained in the collective agreements.
Grievances
In 2010, the unions representing team members filed 600 grievances and arbitrations, which are up slightly from 2009 and on par with 2008. Discipline, pay and scheduling of time off remain the most common issues.
Grievances/arbitrations
| Group | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | |
| TELUS wireline | 403 | 381 | 455 | |
| TELUS wireless | 197 | 173 | 147 | |
| Total |
600 |
554 | 602 |
