Voices for Job Security

I couldn't ignore this any more. I wasn't going to blog at all about my latest contract assignment at a major telephone Company (Telco) in Western Canada but ...

I haven't confirmed this news yet but I will tomorrow morning at my desk. It has been reported Telus has decided to block a website (Voices for Change) run by members of the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU).

The Edmonton Sun reports that :

A strike by Telus employees grew more bitter over the weekend after the telecommunications company blocked access to a union-run website, claiming it posted confidential information and was attempting to harass and intimidate workers by publishing their pictures.

So, if you can't reach Voices for Change to review it for yourself, because it's blocked, unavailable or CENSORED, you can view it at pfak.org

Of course, I reviewed the "controversial, confidential content" for myself and from what I was allowed to read in the public access area, it seemed pretty benign. YMMV

The Fight
I've tried to remain neutral in this argument, as I don't know any union members, but as usual I do have an opinion. I hope I am becoming more informed by the access I have to people who have worked in the telecommunications industry for 20+ years (sans union membership as they work in IT) .

Clerical Workers, Customer Service Representatives, Installation technicians, etc have enjoyed good pay, regular hours and top-notch job security for decades with EDTel, AGT & BCTel. But they are now fighting to hold on to those jobs as much as they can, including stopping any future outsourcing efforts by Telus (the merged company of aforementioned firms).

This month, Bell Canada reached a deal with its union, Canadian Telecommunications Employees' Association (CTEA). The key provisions of their deal, which expires in 2009, includes : No job losses to outsourcing or subcontracting and a wage freeze for the majority of employees. Obviously job security in the changing Telecom industry was the major driving factor for the deal they reached.

We'll have to wait and see what happens with Telus and TWU. Neither is budging and I fear that the union may have had it's best deal brought to the table already (see also the NHL lockout for reference) as Telus claims they "can't continue to be competitive if they provided all the union's demands. "

As for outsourcing union jobs - let me just say that my opinion will be a bit jaded as I've moved several thousand kilometers and switched companies a dozen times in several cities in the 15 years of my career in IT (so far). Much of the computer programming industry may/can/will be outsourced to other countries but I hope to retain the jobs or contracts I get on my own merit.

The Future
Telecommunications is changing. Long distance billing was a $5 Billion business for the industry in 2002, but that figure may very well approach $0.00 over the next decade as VOIP becomes pervasive.

My coworkers tell me that the change in revenues for Telcos appeared in the early 1990s when the long-distance telephone business was deregulated. Thousands of industry jobs were cut as the Telcos watched their main revenue streams deteriorate. But the Internet and wireless (cellular) booms seemed to have lessened the fall towards the end of the last decade.

But all segments of the telecom business now face competition after a century of monopoly protection, leaving companies such as Telus under siege - especially with the latest CRTC ruling(s) that major telecommunications corporations will not be allowed to leverage their existing customer base in any way to gain momentum in the VOIP market.

Of course, everybody I talk to that has heard or tried VOIP is using Shaw Cable's Digital Phone (even Telus workers!), the biggest selling point that they can have "all their services on one bill." But I believe that most consumers don't really care where they get the next service from - as they tend to stick to that company until the service gets interrupted or the price isn't competitive.

The latter point might give Telus a chance, sometime next year - if they can settle the strike/walk-out, convince the CRTC to let them make competitive bundles of products, convince customers that they can offer the best service ...