Following the lead of parent Bell Canada, which is trying to cut staff, Bell Aliant is offering a voluntary retirement incentive to a limited number of its unionized senior front-line employees in Atlantic Canada. "I am very pleased that we have been able to work with our union to meet our shared interests," Karen Sheriff, Aliant president and CEO, said in a news release. "This voluntary program allows us to maintain our cost competitiveness and efficiency, sustain strong customer service and, at the same time, provide some of our most senior employees with an opportunity to retire earlier than planned."
The offer provides a financial incentive to 120 members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Atlantic Communications Council (CEPACC) who'd already be eligible for retirement in 2009. The offer will be limited by department, to ensure service to customers is not affected, Aliant said.
In January, Bell Canada said it will offer a retirement incentive to approximately 1,500 qualifying employees represented by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers' Union of Canada. "This initiative supports Bell's strategic imperative to achieve a competitive cost structure," president and CEO George Cope said at the time. The Bell Canada offer is not an early retirement program, as it applies only to Bell employees who meet certain criteria and are already eligible to retire in 2009 and 2010. Bell said it is staggering the dates on which these employees retire to ensure there is no impact on the quality or level of service to customers.
A Bell spokeswoman said eligible employees have until April 3 to take up the offer. She didn't know how many have signed up so far.