A2 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Telus moves to chop
number of workers

THE NUMBER of Telus employees work-
ing here may drop as the company moves

Instead the CRTC said there will be a
three-year freeze on basic phone service

to shed workers across B.C. and Alberta rates,

by offering buyouts.

Telus said the buyouts will be offered

Telus officials said the decisions will
slash future profits by up to $75 million a

to 11,000 employees, or about 40 per cent year.

of the telecom company’s overall work-

force.

There are 62 members of the Telecom:
munications Workers Union in the Ter-
race area, union officials -say. - .
said Telus spokes-
man Doug Strachan, “It remains to be
seen what effect it might have in terms of

“It is voluntary,”

employment in Terrace.”

He cited a highly competitive tele-
phone service market and recent regula-
tory decisions that increase Telus’ costs
for the decision to pare the workforce.

“It’s prudent business management ta
review on an onagoing basis your opera-
tion to ensure you’re operating as effici-
Strachan said. “The
environment we're in adds to the necess-

ently as you can,”

ity to do that.”

The Canadian Radio-Televison and
Telecommnicatians Commission last
month rejected requests by Telus and
other telephone companie to raise basic
monthly phone service rates for residen-

Strachan would not say whether the
company has considered closing the Ter-
race affice altogether.

The buyout offers expire in October.
~ Telus‘is also’ in the midst of contract
negotiations with its workers,

Telecommunications Workers Union
president ‘Rod Hiebert said new company
management are using a confrontational
style to’ fight both the union and the
CRTC,

“They're trying to punish the employ-
ees and punish the public through de-
creases in service,” Hiebert said.

He also said the union fears the buy-
outs are just a prelude to massive corpor-
ate restructuring and centralization of
Telus operations.

“They operate in the Terrace area,
they take money from your area, they
really owe jobs:to Terrace and the sur-
rounding community,” he said,

The company has said layoffs are pos-
sible if buyouts don’t work out as predic-

tial customers, particularly in rural areas, ted.

Jobless

UNEMPLOYMENT in the
northwest edged up again
in May to 16.1 per cent,
according to federal esti-
mates,

The newest labour force
survey shows the jobless
rate here is up 0.3 per cent
from 15.8 per cent in April.

The region’s unemplay-
ment now stands 4.2 per
cent higher than it did one
year ago.

It’s the worst region in
B.C. for unemployment,
followed by the Cariboo at
14.7 per cent.

The rates are lowest in
the Lower Mainland and
Vancouver Island.

But all of the rest of the
province is naw experien-
cing double-digit unem-

Police seize pot

POLICE have seized about
360 marijuana plants from
4 grow operation at a
home in Thornhill.

RCMP said a man and
a woman were arrested in
connection with the June
Ist raid.

Charges are pending
and the duo are to appear
in court July 26, police

rate inches up

|Northwest unemployment

16
15
14
% 131]
12
11
10

January to May

ployment — even the gas-
fired northeast region,
where the rate has crept up

to 10.1 per cent.
The provincial average
is steady at 9.2 per cent.

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It was the seeond siza- Epilepsy
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Police also seized 200 NeCMLYO-
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23, a
Officers in that case disorder
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said. without charges.

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