Bell Canada Offers Buyouts to 1,500

TORONTO -- Bell Canada (BCE Quote) said Tuesday it is offering retirement incentives to 1,500 qualifying union workers in the latest move by Canada's largest telecom operator to streamline and cut operating costs.

Bell Canada is trying to become more competitive in the wake of last month's failure of a failed offer to acquire its parent, BCE Inc., by an investment group led by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan board.

The retirement incentive offer affects workers represented by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers' Union of Canada.

Bell Canada, which has more than 41,000 employees, said the retirement offer is not an early retirement program, since it applies only to workers who meet certain criteria and are already eligible to retire this year and in 2010. It didn't give details on the incentives. ...