A group of 75 call centre workers just became Unifor’s newest telecom unit after saying, “enough is enough” with unfair pay and a lack of accountability from management

“It’s a brave thing to do, to form a union with your co-workers and take that concrete action to improve your working conditions,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “That’s exactly what these call centre workers did when they reached out to our union, they took the first step towards having a better job.”

The new unit is made up of approximately 75 workers at AllianceOne Ltd. In Toronto, a subsidiary of Teleperformance. The members provide customer support services for Toyota Financial Services and Echo Health.

“Many of the new members are newcomers to Canada, and they felt taken advantage of at times. By forming a union, workers can ensure that their rights on the job are protected,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi.

Other workplace issues identified during the organizing drive were different wages for workers doing the same job, a lack of consistency and communication from management, and a lack of alignment in terms of benefits with AllianceOne workers in the U.S.

Now, the newly formed union at AllianceOne will be empowered to bargain across the table with their employers and advocate for much-needed changes at work.

Racism remains deeply rooted in our country and communities, and it is the responsibility of trade unionists to confront and eliminate it and all forms of oppression that seek to divide workers.

People around the world recognise March 21 as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to honour and remember the victims of the Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa.

On this day in 1960, Black South Africans marched to a local police station to protest apartheid “pass” laws which limited freedom of movement.

“While we were standing there and singing, we suddenly saw the police in a row pointing their guns at us. Whilst we were still singing, without any word, without any argument, we just heard the guns being fired,” said Lydia Mahabuke, Sharpeville survivor.

The massacre, which killed 69 people and left more than 180 injured, shocked the world.

“Today, we cannot let violence, including acts driven by racism, to become something we grow numb to. With conflicts unfolding around the world and racial violence continuing in Canada, every life taken by the destructive force of racism is a terrible and preventable loss.” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

MISSISSAUGA — Unifor is sounding the alarm after Boart Longyear, a global mining services company with operations in Canada since the 1930s, told workers it will close its Mississauga manufacturing facility and move operations to China, eliminating 40 unionized jobs.

“Working people are being told their jobs are being shipped to China while politicians talk about securing Canadian supply chains. Talk is not enough—these workers need action now,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “You cannot build a stronger Canadian economy by hollowing out the communities that built it.”

Boart Longyear was founded in the United States in 1890 and has maintained a presence in Ontario for nearly a century. The closure comes at a time when Canada faces mounting pressure to strengthen domestic supply chains and protect strategic industries, particularly in the mining and natural resources sector.

“This is not just about one plant in Ontario. This is about whether Canada is serious about keeping good manufacturing jobs or whether we’re going to let them disappear one closure at a time,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi.

The union is meeting with the employer to secure severance details. The company has not yet clarified the closure date, making future planning more difficult for the affected families.