GATINEAU, October 27, 2023 ‑ After 18 bargaining sessions with representatives of Laurentien-area Local SEVL‑2815 (Gatineau) on renewal of the collective agreement that expired on August 31, 2021, and several high‑level meetings between Videotron management and representatives of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Videotron's legitimate requests, which are necessary in order to deal with major changes in the industry and recruitment challenges, have been rejected. To break the deadlock, the company made a comprehensive offer on October 10, which the union decided not to recommend to its members and which was subsequently rejected by the membership.
The main points in Videotron's offer included a 14.5% wage increase over seven years, plus lump‑sum payments equivalent to 3% of salary, for a total of 17.5%. When combined with the 4% annual raise for which over 70% of employees are eligible, this comes to a 45.5% increase over the seven‑year period.
The company also wants to be able to increase outsourcing, since it currently has over 350 unfilled positions at its call centres despite ongoing recruitment efforts. Videotron must find alternative solutions to continue providing its customers with the best customer service in the industry. It should also be noted that Videotron has committed to no layoffs in jobs for which it uses outsourcing.
Given the union's intransigence, Videotron management had no choice but to serve a lock‑out notice. It will mean a work stoppage for 214 employees starting at 5 a.m. on Monday, October 30. Videotron wants to reach an agreement with the union and hopes the dispute can be resolved quickly.
About Videotron
Videotron, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in television, entertainment, Internet access, wireline telephone and mobile telephone services. On April 3, 2023, Videotron acquired Freedom Mobile Inc., creating a fourth strong and competitive national mobile carrier in Canada. As of June 30, 2023, Videotron and Freedom had a combined total of 3,610,100 mobile lines. Videotron is also a leader in new technologies with its Helix home entertainment and management platform, and is the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access. As of June 30, 2023, Videotron had 1,374,500 subscriptions to its television service, 1,716,800 subscribers to its Internet service, and 712,100 connections to its wireline telephony service. Videotron has been ranked the telecom with the best customer service in Québec.
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