WestJet has transferred about 400 Calgary call centre positions to El Salvador over the past year, prompting Unifor to demand the airline stop outsourcing Canadian jobs.
The jobs now belong to TELUS Digital agents in El Salvador, the union said. Another 200 chat support positions moved to the same location this month, work previously handled by WNS in India, according to Unifor.
The union represents approximately 800 WestJet contact centre workers currently involved in an organizing drive. Unifor says the airline has stopped hiring locally and is reducing hours for remaining Canadian staff.
“In this uncertain economic climate caused by a trade war launched by the United States, we expect Canadian companies like WestJet to support Canadian workers and we need corporate Canada to step up,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
Staffing changes and voluntary exits
WestJet offered voluntary separation packages to contact centre staff in September and again in November. The airline is now reducing full-time hours, forcing part-time transitions, and cutting schedules despite high call volumes, according to the union.
TELUS Digital continues hiring and training new agents in El Salvador while internal WestJet teams face frozen positions and reduced hours, Unifor says.
The outsourcing began in October 2024 when WestJet announced the shift to El Salvador. The company initially described the move as temporary to manage peak demand, but internal information later confirmed permanent offshoring, according to the union.
Private equity ownership and IPO timeline
Onex, the private equity fund that owns WestJet, plans to take the airline public within two years. During company townhalls, WestJet leaders confirmed outsourcing to El Salvador is contractually guaranteed, according to Unifor.
“These workers are being squeezed by outsourcing, pressure to cut hours or move to part-time, and constant monitoring programs that are being used to discipline and shrink the workforce while Onex lines up its IPO,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director.
Government funding contradiction
The Alberta government has a memorandum of understanding with TELUS Digital that provides tax breaks, training grants, and other supports meant to create jobs in Alberta.
“It’s a pretty clear contradiction with public money going to a company that’s cutting local jobs and offshoring the work,” said McGarrigle.
Union organizing effort
Unifor is working to unionize WestJet contact centre workers to stop further outsourcing and protect Canadian jobs. Workers are connecting online, sharing information, and signing union cards to gain majority support, according to the union.
“Our union stands with and supports these call centre workers in Calgary, whose jobs are being offshored by WestJet. We will never stop fighting to protect Canadian jobs and we call on WestJet to do the right thing,” said Payne.
Unifor is Canada’s largest private sector union, representing 320,000 workers.
