Telus offers buyouts to nearly 700 Canadian employees

Telus offered buyout packages to almost 700 workers nationwide, including over 500 members of USW Local 1944, and said the moves respond to demand for self-serve solutions; employees were given until Jan. 21 to decide.

Telus is offering buyout packages to almost 700 employees across Canada. The company framed the offers as part of a voluntary separation program introduced in 2025 and linked to growing customer demand for self-serve solutions. More than 500 of the affected workers are members of United Steelworkers Local 1944, which represents around 4,000 Telus employees. Workers were given until Jan. 21 to decide on the offers. Key facts: - Telus issued buyout packages to nearly 700 workers nationwide, including over 500 USW Local 1944 members. - Telus spokeswoman Sacha Gudmundsson said the program responds to rapid industry change and increased demand for self-serve options, and that the packages exceed Canada Labour Code requirements. - USW Local 1944 said further workforce reductions at Telus will hurt communities and the Canadian economy, according to union president Michael Phillips. - Employees were given a deadline of Jan. 21 to accept or decline the offers. Summary: Telus described the offers as a voluntary program tied to changes in customer behaviour, while the union warned of community and economic effects. The immediate status is that buyout offers were issued and employees have until Jan. 21 to respond. The outcome after that date is undetermined at this time.