The B.C. labour movement is being asked to send a message to Telus Corp. in support of 13,700 striking members of the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU).

B.C. Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair says there's only one way the phone and Internet company will get serious about bargaining - and that's consumer action.

He says the labour body's half-million-strong membership will be asked to start cancelling call features and automatic bill payments.

Sinclair says Telus customers are already frustrated with long delays because of job cuts announced previously by the company.

Bayne Stanley, Business Edge
Telecommunications Workers Union president Bruce Bell, right, joins 34-year Telus Corp. worker Helma Nuyten, far left, on the picket line outside the phone company's Burnaby facilities.

At the same time, a group of New Democrat MPs is asking federal Labour Minister Joe Fontana to impose binding arbitration in the four-year-old dispute.

Earlier, Telus won a B.C. Supreme Court injunction forbidding TWU members from blocking entrances at Telus buildings or conspiring to block them.

Telus won a separate ruling from Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta last week prohibiting union members from obstructing access to company premises or impeding passage on sidewalks, parking lots and roads.

The Alberta court also issued an interim order prohibiting the TWU from posting for public viewing on any website any photographs or identifying features of Telus employees.

The company had disabled Internet access from its network to the TWU's voices-for-change.com website, citing privacy concerns, among others.

"With this injunction in place, Telus has re-enabled access to the site from the Telus network for Telus customers and Internet service providers," said Janet Yale, executive vice-president for corporate affairs.

The company had come under attack from the B.C. Civil Liberties Association for blocking access to the website.

The company has brought in 7,000 Telus management employees from across the country to help maintain services. The company also said roughly half of its unionized workers in Alberta have crossed the picket line.

TWU president Bruce Bell said the walkout over job security could drag on for six to nine months.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board said Telus proceeded legally by sending its final proposal directly to employees three months ago without the agreement of the union bargaining committee.

Telus employs 13,500 people in B.C. and Alberta.

The union has said key issues include job security and wage equity and initiated the job action after Telus said it would impose a new contract on the workers, including raises of two per cent annually for five years.

Telus has said it needs more flexibility to compete in the telecommunications industry.

-With files from Business Edge