Outsourcing of CPR jobs
May 27, 2007
Brothers and Sisters,
It seems that CPR, in its quest to streamline and lower its operating ratio is entertaining the possibility of outsourcing (sending overseas) some of their positions to save on labour costs.
I'm not the expert here, but I believe that outsourcing would only be possible with positions that are involve sedentary positions that could be handled by officeworkers. Like the jobs that most of the replacement workers held prior to scabbing our work.
If you recall, in 1995 when the company sent replacement workers out to do our work during the strike, no one replaced them at their desks. Coincidentally, a month or so after we returned to work over a third of those desk positions were abolished, as it was found that they were not needed because no one replaced them during the strike.
But then again, I'm sure that the company has assured all these replacement workers that their employment is secure, this time around. They probably had senior management do it at pep rallies and the like.
Stay safe, stay strong, stay united,
Bill Brehl
President
TCRC MWED
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Update on BITS application outsourcing
To All CP users of Information Technology:
The Business Information and Technology Services (BITS) group will be undergoing substantial change in support of our objective of becoming the safest and most fluid railway in North America.
Currently, BITS is in the final stages of negotiations with two external vendors to enhance our application development and support services. By leveraging the capabilities of vendors who specialize in these areas, we will be able to access a larger and more cost effective labour pool. This will enable us to support CP's Accelerated Operating Ratio Initiative (AORI) through significant cost savings while maintaining the same level of service.
This initiative will not change BITS accountability to ensure the successful execution of IT projects and the proper maintenance of all applications. In the coming months, we will engage our business partners to discuss how to effectively leverage our new vendor relationships and seek opportunities to improve service delivery capabilities. Through these discussions, we will also clarify what this initiative will mean for all CP application users from a support and development perspective.
Preparing to bring in external parties to support critical elements of BITS operations is not easy - this move represents considerable change for our staff. We are currently in the process of working with our employees and contractors to communicate and define exactly what this will mean for BITS as a whole and for each individual. As a result of this outsourcing initiative, a small number of our employees will be re-employed by a vendor and others will follow CP's internal redeployment process.
This initiative is in no way reflective of the value we place on our current staff. As I am sure many of you know, we have a very talented team. I am very proud of the dedication and commitment our team has demonstrated to BITS and to CP as a whole.
The next couple of weeks will be challenging as we prepare to make the transition to a new environment, continue to meet our day-to-day business requirements, and do our part to support operations during the strike. During this time, I ask for your continued support of your BITS colleagues.
If you have general questions about these planned changes, please contact myself, or Linda Hunter, director of the Best Shore Initiative. For specific questions within your business areas, please contact the following individuals:
Clarke Carson, director, operations LOB
Linda Comand, director, marketing & sales LOB
- marketing & sales
- strategy & external affairs
Howard Bakken, director, corporate LOB
- finance
- human resource / industrial relations
- strategic sourcing group
Once we have finalized the agreements, we will provide you with more information about the vendors including who they are, how they work, and where they are located.
Thank you.
Allen Borak
Vice-president, BITS
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