Shaw Communications Inc. is laying off 200 employees across the country, 100 in B.C.
“We’ve combined two roles into one,” Shaw representative Chethan Lakshman said. “Installers” and “service technicians” in the company’s consumer division will be replaced by “in-home technicians”.
“There’s a trend towards reduced service calls,” Lakshman said. “Customer behaviour is changing, needs have evolved, services have evolved, technology has gotten better, customers are doing more themselves,” and Shaw sees “a demand from customers for someone who knows how to solve their problems, whether installation or technical service.” He declined to provide trend statistics.
The layoffs will affect 67 unionized employees in Vancouver and 33 non-unionized staff elsewhere in the province. The jobs will be eliminated over the next 90 days.
“It’s a bit of a shock,” said Robin Nedila, assistant business manager at IBEW 213, which represents 19 of the laid-off workers in Vancouver. “What we’re hearing from our areas at least, the work flow was steady.”
IBEW 213 will be appealing the layoffs as it contends Shaw hasn’t adhered to layoff and workforce reduction language regarding seniority, “but (has) simply chosen a classification,” Nedila said.
The affected members are pieceworkers.
“We were told by the company they are restructuring and going entirely hourly,” Nedila said. In contrast, hourly workers in Shaw’s non-union locations have “either been let go or given offers for piecework.”
“Piecework rates historically make more than the negotiated hourly rate,” said Tamara Marshall of the Telecommunications Workers Union local 1944, which represents 54 laid-off Shaw employees. “In good years, it’s double or more, but it all depends on the level of work.”
The amount of work has been declining, Marshall said. TWU-USW 1944 is considering whether to grieve the layoffs.
In the Lower Mainland, some unionized service technicians drive company vans and are paid by the hour, while others provide their own vehicles and are paid by the job. The piecework positions will become hourly positions, Marshall said.
Outside the Lower Mainland, technicians will now provide their own vehicles and be paid by the job, she said. Revenue for Shaw’s consumer division was flat over the quarter and year ending Aug. 31.
The company’s last round of layoffs in April saw “less than 200” positions eliminated due to realignment of its senior leadership team, Lakshman said at the time.