Four Unifor locals in Atlantic Canada have ratified a new collective agreement with Bell that includes wage increases and job security provisions.
Locals 401, 410, 506, and 2289 approved the contract following negotiations under the union’s “Stronger Together” bargaining campaign. The agreement covers workers at Bell contact and assignment centres across the region.
Wage and benefit changes
The contract includes 2.7 per cent wage increases for each year of the agreement. Workers will also receive a new benefits and pension plan that maintains key elements of the previous health plan while delivering cost savings, according to the union.
The vacation ratio will increase from 15 per cent to 20 per cent under the new agreement.
Job security provisions
Bell has committed to maintaining all five current contact and assignment centres without consolidation. The agreement also includes a new clause that prioritizes internal Unifor candidates when positions become available.
“Considering the very challenging times, Locals 401, 410, 506, and 2289 approached negotiations with a clear purpose: to ensure that Bell recognizes our members and how important they are to this company,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
Stéphane Lamoureux, chair of Unifor ACL, said the gains reflected the collective strength of the membership across the four locals.
Unifor represents 320,000 workers in the private sector across Canada.
