Tuesday May 3, 2005
For Immediate Release
Toronto – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has called the closure of the British Airways Toronto Call Centre a betrayal of the 160 workers who will lose their jobs because of the decision.
“During negotiations last year we were told if we signed a fair and equitable agreement quickly the Toronto operation would remain open,” said Sandro Sperduti, IAMAW District Lodge 140 Assistant Deputy. “We did our part, our members continuously corrected errors made by the Jacksonville call center and this is the thanks they get. Certainly they’re upset, they feel betrayed.”
The 160 members of IAMAW Local Lodge 2413 are employed by British Airways in Toronto as call station attendants, telephone sales agents and reservation agents. British Airways announced it was closing the Toronto Call Centre because the number of calls has fallen by 25 per cent over the last two years. This comes despite praise from Senior Vice President Irv Rudowitz who called the Toronto employees the most professional and pleasant staff he had ever worked with. The company said a growing number of customers are booking tickets and getting their boarding cards online, part of an overall trend in the industry.
British Airways will now service Canadian customers through call centers in New York and Jacksonville, operated by a wholly owned subsidiary Flytel. The airline has offered transfers to the Jacksonville Florida operation if Toronto workers qualify to work in the United States. “On the surface this offer may sound good but it’s hollow,” said Sperduti. “Our people can’t transfer their seniority or their current wage to Florida, they would have to start at the bottom of the scale. That’s not very appealing to someone with over twenty years of service under their belt.”
The Machinists will meet with the company on May 9th to discuss improving the current severance package and other employee options. The Toronto Call Centre is slated to close December 31, 2005.
