Diego Manzo
SGS AXYS Chapter
Words by Jessica Natale Woollard Photos by Aaron Lutsch
When a privately owned company is purchased by a multi-national corporation, employees are bound to feel growing pains. But nearly seven years later, persistent pains meant it was time for the employees to band together and affect change. Such is the story of SGS AXYS Analytical Services.
Founded in Sidney, B.C. in 1974, AXYS was a private company specializing in analyzing matter, including aqueous, solids and tissues, for the presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). The company grew to be a global leader.
In 2016, AXYS was purchased by SGS, another global leader in inspection and testing services for government, research organizations, regulatory bodies, consultants, and industry. With headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, SGS employs more than 95,000 people and operates more than 2,600 labs and offices around the world.
Diego Manzo joined the Sidney team in 2021, after earning his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Victoria. A laboratory chemist, he prepares the samples prior to running instrumental analyses. He developed an expertise working with pollutants, such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chemicals that do not easily break down and may have adverse effects on people and animals.
Early in his tenure, Manzo noticed a high turnover rate among staff at the Sidney laboratory, despite employees enjoying their work and the company culture.
“The high turnover rate meant less experienced hires were making more mistakes, and the sample analyses were taking longer,” he says. “It’s in everyone’s best interest to retain employees. It started to feel like a sinking ship.”
After holding meaningful conversations with employees, 40 per cent of whom worked remotely, it became clear to Manzo that colleagues at the Sidney team were indeed dissatisfied—dissatisfied with clawed-back benefits; lack of transparency; general management issues; and insignificant wage increases despite company profits. (Manzo says one-third of lab staff are ineligible for annual raises, due to company policy. They are “kept hostage” at the same pay rate, he adds.) Each of these issues contributed to the high turnover, which, in turn, led to further dissatisfaction.
Manzo researched unions and presented the PEA as an option to his colleagues. Union cards were signed in June 2023. Upon being notified of the application to unionize by the BC Labour Relations Board, the employer filed several objections, all of which were denied by the Labour Board in November 2023. The SGS AXYS chapter is now preparing to bargain a first collective agreement.
Speaking with colleagues, Manzo found that many wholeheartedly believed in the labour movement and were grateful for the work of the organizing team. For others, organizing came with a certain level of fear. On that subject, Manzo was an ideal spokesperson, guided and supported by PEA organizer Duncan Pike.
“I’m an immigrant; I have a closed work permit,” explains the Mexican national. “That means I cannot just quit my job and get another one; I’m not allowed to do that. I told people when talking to them, ‘I’m putting all my chips on the table because this is the right thing to do.’”
Ultimately, the organizing process brought SGS AXYS employees—remote and local—closer together. In unionizing, they created a stronger workplace.
See article in the Professional, Spring 2024
