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Bell Canada technicians in Ontario and Quebec are in a legal strike position, after 88 per cent of union members who voted cast ballots against the telephone company's proposed new four-year contract. The 5,000 Bell Canada field technicians, frame testers and cable repair workers, who are represented by the UNI affiliate the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, have voted for a strike or lock-out which is now legally possible upon 72 hours' notice by either side of the negotations, although CEP said it is in talks with Bell to return to the bargaining table as soon as possible.



Bell Canada is offering annual wage increases in the proposed new contract, but the union is concerned about a proposal to expand flexible scheduling of hours in busier times, beyond the current two-week period. The plan would require employees to work more during peak periods without overtime pay.



The CEP pointed to Bell Canada parent company's expected multibillion-dollar takeover by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan as a reason why the telephone company should be able to offer more benefits to the workers.  



"Bell's offer is riddled with concessions and we have no doubt that it would be rejected," said CEP Ontario administrative vice-president John Edwards in a statement. "It's just not acceptable that we should be expected to give up so much that we have fought for over many decades. Especially not when Bell is about to sell itself off to the Teachers as a $52-billion enterprise."