Hello Sisters, Brothers and Friends,
The employer has recently provided the UTE National Office with a revised notice regarding hours of work in its ABSB Contact Centres, along with an updated Matrix, for consultation in keeping with our established practice.
The purpose of the proposed change is to establish two recurring seasonal operating hours periods so that the national contact centre network can continue to provide service Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
The employer explained that this adjustment is required because Alberta and British Columbia have decided to remain on daylight saving time year round, while Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces will continue to move between daylight and standard time. When Eastern Canada returns to standard time each fall, the time difference between Eastern Canada and the western contact centres is reduced by one hour until Eastern Canada returns to daylight time in the spring.
The existing Western operating hours were established based on the former, consistent time zone offsets. Without a seasonal adjustment, Calgary, Edmonton and Surrey would stop contributing at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time during the winter period. This would leave Montreal as the only site providing coverage during the final hour of national service for both ITE and BE, creating a single site dependency and reducing operational resilience during peak filing periods.
The UTE did not oppose to the updated Matrix that will run from November 1, 2026 to March 13, 2027.
Since the employer is opening the Matrix discussion, the UTE continues to strongly oppose to the Atlantic Region start time.
If the employer is prepared to adjust western hours to protect the end of the service day, then it should also be prepared to examine Atlantic hours to strengthen the beginning of the service day. Atlantic employees should not be excluded from schedule options that may benefit both the operation and employees.
The Atlantic Region should be part of the national opening strategy in the same way the West is being used for the national closing strategy. The UTE continues to raise its concerns with the employer.
The Union of Taxation Employees will not let this issue go. We will continue to press the employer, without hesitation, to ensure that members in the Atlantic Region receive fair consideration, improved work life balance, and access to earlier start times. This matter remains a priority for the UTE, and we will continue to advocate forcefully until equitable treatment is achieved.
In solidarity,
Adam Jackson
National President