Telus slashing 6,000 jobs in order to remain competitive

Thousands of jobs are on the chopping block at Telus as the telecommunications giant restructures its business.

According to news outlets, including CBC News, the company plans to cut approximately 6,000 jobs. 4,000 roles will be eliminated at Telus’ main business, with the remaining 2,000 affecting Telus International.

President and CEO Darren Entwistle claimed that the reduction is being made with “a very heavy heart” and was prompted by the “evolving regulatory, competitive, and macroeconomic environment.”

“Against the backdrop of rapid transformation in our industry and the ways in which our customers want to engage with us, today we are announcing a significant investment in an extensive efficiency and effectiveness initiative across Telus,” Entwistle said in a news release obtained by CBC News.

He added that the company will offer early retirement and voluntary severance packages — similar to what it did in May.

At the end of 2022, Telus employed a total workforce of more than 108,000 people, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.

Major layoffs continue

Telus joins the growing list of major North American companies that have announced sweeping layoffs in 2023.

Big names, including Rogers, Amazon, Microsoft, PVH, Ritual, Meta, and Suncor Energy, are significantly scaling back their staffing levels as they continue to navigate challenging economic conditions.

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Termination agreements for Telus employees

In Canada, non-unionized employees at Telus are owed full severance pay when they lose their jobs due to downsizing, corporate restructuring, or the closure of the business.

This includes individuals working full-time, part-time, or hourly in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C.

People working “on contract” or as a contractor may also be owed severance pay — given that many employees in Canada are often misclassified as independent contractors.

Severance can be as much as 24 months’ pay, depending on a number of factors.

LEARN MORE
• Severance pay for federally regulated employees
• Rights to severance for provincially regulated employees
• Severance entitlements during mass layoffs

WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains what rights employees have if they are being fired or let go on an episode of the Employment Law Show.

Before you accept any severance offer, have an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP review it and your employment contract.

We can tell you if what you have been provided is fair and how to get proper severance if it falls short of what you are actually owed.

If you don’t receive the full amount, which happens often, you have been wrongfully dismissed and are entitled to compensation.

In some cases, employers pressure staff into accepting poor severance packages, such as imposing a deadline for accepting the offer.

Non-unionized employees in Canada have up to two years from the date of their dismissal to pursue a claim for full severance pay.