Bulletin
FortisBC-CSC – FortisBC Communication to FortisBC-CSC
February 19, 2021
To: All MoveUP Members at FortisBC CSC
We have recently received correspondence that was sent to all FortisBC-CSC members regarding the current performance levels within the gas contact centres, and the notice that the Company is going to be making changes and updates to the reintegration plan.
We hear your frustration, and we agree that the message that you all received was disheartening and for some, threatening. We know and understand all of the hard work that you all do on a day-to-day basis, and we know the amount of commitment and overtime that has been put in since October 2020, with the thought of when this will end.
We do not agree that efficiencies will come from having you all return to the office, nor do we agree that it is the right step. As we have written in the past, the BC Government has deemed FortisBC as an essential service, and as long as they provide all the necessary Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), along with abiding by the safety guidelines and protocols, they are within their right to have you return to work.
However, with that said, your union has repeatedly identified that despite the fact you as a member can be directed back to work, it flies in the face of the Order of the Provincial Health Officer, dated December 16, 2020 issued by Dr. Bonnie Henry, where part of the order addresses Employers being encouraged to have workers work from home:
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- Employers must encourage workers to work from their private residence, if possible given the nature of the work involved, and provide their workers with the necessary work related support to do so, unless there is a preference on the part of the employer or the worker for the worker to work at the workplace.
- Employers must include in their COVID-19 safety plan measures to prevent workers from crowding together or congregating in indoor common areas, including elevators, lobbies, hallways, stairwells, corridors, bathrooms, meeting rooms, break rooms, kitchens.
We have identified to the Company, and we hope that they will take heed to our recommendations, that having members return to work is not necessarily a means to increase efficiencies, especially when the restrictions of not going anywhere when one is sick or not feeling well are still in place. Not that the Union would ever suggest that working from home while sick is something one should do, but if one has a headache, it would be easier to be able to work from home, rather than not going into work because the health restriction and one of the COVID-19 symptoms is “headache”.
Efficiencies should not come at the sacrifice of its employees health and safety.
We hope that the Company will rethink its position on the matter.
In solidarity,
Cindy A. Lee
Union Representative