Fired Without a Chance to Speak
During a 10-minute virtual meeting held on March 20th, Bell’s Human Resources and Labour Relations manager read a script firing 400 employees without allowing the opportunity for them to unmute to ask questions, according to UNIFOR.
In a response to outrage over the incident, Bell Canada has committed to modifying its approach for upcoming meetings, and will allow union reps and staff an opportunity to ask questions.
“These members have been living in dread of a meeting invite to find out they’ve lost their job since Bell announced the termination of thousands of jobs almost six weeks ago,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
Unifor represents more than 19,000 workers at BCE.
Stock Under Pressure
Bell Canada stock has been selling off since early 2024 as its profit margins dwindle and as Bell Media’s advertising revenues declined by $140 million in 2023.
Recent Layoffs
In an effort to shore up its balance sheet, Bell has terminated more than 6,000 workers and has sold 45 radio stations over the last 8 months in major shake-ups. Recently “multi-skilled journalists” have replaced news correspondents and technician teams reporting to CTV National News in Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
