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REGINA—After a new proposal to outsource unionized SaskTel jobs surfaced on government websites this week, Unifor has demanded a stop to contracting out.
“With each outsourcing post, the Sask Party government is undermining good jobs and good customer service at SaskTel, and customers should be concerned,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “This government must stop sending jobs out of province and offshore. Why is the Sask Party so obsessed with killing good, local jobs?”
Uncovered on sasktenders.ca, the latest contracting out proposal would potentially put at least 17 unionized jobs at risk. Earlier this month, 10 unionized jobs at SaskTel subsidiary SecurTek were contracted out.
While most postings involve relatively small numbers of jobs, the cumulative total is substantial. Over the last several years, it is estimated that nearly 1,000 SaskTel jobs have been contracted out to out-of-province companies or firms overseas.
“When SaskTel customers are forced to deal with low-bid contractors, service suffers,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director. “The Sask Party must stop funnelling lucrative public contracts to their friends in the private sector. SaskTel privatization is a scam.”
Unifor represents 2,350 SaskTel workers from every region in Saskatchewan.
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
