Quebec-based telecom company Cogeco has laid off several employees in Ontario, but denied that it would outsource the work.
MobileSyrup received an anonymous tip about Cogeco’s recent layoffs, which accused the company of firing a “sizable portion of its frontline staff” as part of an outsourcing effort. The tip pegged the total number of layoffs at over 100.
When reached for comment, Cogeco confirmed the layoffs as part of its “ongoing efforts to align our resources with our operational needs.” However, Cogeco said it only laid off 44 members of its Ontario team.
“We have no plans to outsource this work outside of Canada. We thank these team members for their contributions and are providing them with transition packages, including financial support and outplacement services, to assist them in their next professional steps,” said Isabelle Famery, manager of external communications at Cogeco.
While Cogeco didn’t specify which roles were impacted by the layoffs, it did tell MobileSyrup that “this will not negatively impact the level of service our customers receive.”
Cogeco’s layoffs come amid a turbulent time for the Canadian telecom industry. Telcos are cutting jobs, and many are outsourcing that work to other countries. Earlier this month, an alliance of telecom workers denounced the offshoring of jobs, warning of negative impacts to Canada’s security and privacy.
Meanwhile, we’ve seen the Big Three cut thousands of jobs over the last few years. Rogers most recently cut around 100 internal IT roles. Last year, it transitioned roughly 400 employees to Ericsson, which later laid them off as it outsourced the work to India. The move sparked a call from Conservative ministers for the government to intervene.
Along with Rogers, Bell laid off nearly 700 employees before the holidays, and last year offered voluntary separation to some 1,200 union workers. Telus, similarly, offered buyouts to almost 700 employees in January, and laid off approximately 6,000 people in 2023.
