Bell Canada's India outsourcing plan meets opposition

TORONTO: Leading telecommunications company Bell Canada's intention of cutting jobs and reducing the work hours of its employees in favour of outsourcing companies in India has invited strong criticism from an employees' union.

The Canadian Telecommunications Employees' Association (CTEA) has denounced Bell Canada's plan to lower its costs by reducing its Canadian staff and outsource jobs to India.

"During 2005 bargaining, Bell Canada increased the salary of most employees in the assignment/activation group stating they were underpaid compared with telecommunications competitors," said Line Brisson, chairman of the CTEA clerical bargaining committee.

"Today, the company alleges these employees are costing too much and announced their jobs will be eliminated. This is unacceptable. The issue here is that they are now comparing the job that is done on Canadian soil with the market wages overseas. As long companies such as Bell Canada use overseas markets as the basis of comparison for wages, the jobs will always be too expensive to perform in Canada," Brisson said.

CTEA members made huge concessions in 2005 by signing a collective agreement intended to secure their jobs.

The CTEA is losing count of the number of decisions Bell Canada has made to the disadvantage of its employees: contracting out of residential and business client representative jobs, contracting out of account collection and repair services to contractors overseas.