The Vancouver Sun reports (Telus offers cash bonuses to end labour dispute) on Telus' efforts to end a "rancorous four-year labour dispute involving B.C.'s largest company" by directly emailing its "B.C. and Alberta employees" and offering "cash bonuses between $4,815 and $24,545 as part of a final contract offer" in order to head off, what is described as a " limited lockout".
It seems that the Union made an application to the Federal Court of Canada (Telus is a federally regulated employer) to stay the "limited lockout" measures that Telus intended to implement. According to The Vancouver Sun, Justice Marshall Rothstein refused to stay the limited lockout (Union for Telus workers fails to stop 'virtual lockout' set to begin Monday). The article also reports that:
In a statement from Vancouver, Telecommunications Workers Union president Bruce Bell alleged Telus violated collective bargaining laws and regulations under the Canada Industrial Relations Act after the company issued an e-mail to employees Thursday outlining its latest offer.
The Edmonton Journal has more to say on this allegation in Offer sparks union outrage (the article looks at the issue from the union's perspective). As reported in The Vancouver Sun article (above) Telus' position, as communicated by Drew McArthur, vice-president of corporate affairs for Telus, "under the Canada Labour Code, we're well within our rights to communicate directly with employees".
The issue of direct communication is an interesting one that, from time to time has been considered in Canadian caselaw. For example, Telus Communications Inc. (April 8, 2004. CIRB) and the Reconsideration Decision at Telus Communications Inc. (April 20, 2005, CIRB).
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