Author Archives: Pierre St-Jacques

TB bargaining: PSAC heads into mediation for PA group and common issues

PSAC’s bargaining team representing 90,000 federal public service workers in the Program & Administrative Services (PA) unit has agreed to mediation on January 16 and 17.

The session is being convened by the Public Interest Commission (PIC) and will cover both common issues as well as those specific to the PA unit (information for the other Treasury Board units will be forthcoming).

PSAC and the government presented their respective bargaining positions at a PIC hearing on December 4-7.

PSAC will provide an update on the mediation session once it is complete.

What is a Public Interest Commission (PIC)?

Under the law that governs contract negotiations in the federal public service, once impasse is reached at the bargaining table, a PIC is established to help the parties reach an agreement.

The PIC is a panel of three people – a chairperson appointed by the Labour Board and nominees appointed by the union and management. The union and the employer submit briefs and explain their positions on the outstanding issues at a hearing with the PIC. The PIC chairperson also has the option of convening additional talks. The PIC then issues a report with recommendations for settlement. The recommendations are not binding.

Once the PIC releases its report, the union’s bargaining team will meet to discuss the recommendations. Traditionally, following this, PSAC and government representatives have returned to the table to resume negotiations. We expect the PIC reports to be issued in 2020.

The original version of this article was first posted on the PSAC website.

2019 novel coronavirus: Safety measures

CIU National President Jean-Pierre Fortin recently gave an in-depth interview to Radio-Canada (article in French) regarding what the union is expecting from the employer in response to the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak.

Our members are the first line of defence of the country and the ongoing outbreak is no different, as border services officers interact with potentially ill travellers every day. While the risks of being exposed to the 2019 novel coronavirus remain low for the moment, we are encouraging all border services personnel to remain vigilant. We recommend that eyewear, N95 face masks and gloves be worn with any prolonged exposure to potentially ill travellers (such as interviewing or escorting), and it is the union’s position that such protective equipment should be made mandatory at major airports. We also highlighted to the employer that primary inspection kiosks should be disinfected regularly to prevent illnesses from spreading.

Further to ensuring proper access to protective equipment, we also brought up to CBSA the need to put in place additional measures to slow down the flow of travellers arriving from regions where they could have been exposed to the disease. While implementing such measures can present challenges, it would allow our officers and relevant authorities to better identify and assist travellers who show signs of infection.

Ultimately, given their expertise, it would be highly beneficial for government public health officials to be deployed to the country’s main airports (Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver) to assist our officers.

It is worth noting that, so far, the employer has been quite forthcoming with the union regarding the outbreak, and the exchange of information has been well-received.

It is important to bear in mind that, as with any similar public health issue, the situation is evolving quickly, and new directives may be issued by the employer and other authorities in the coming days. We will make sure to keep you informed of any new development. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Branch President or your local Health and Safety representative.

Members rally in Saint John

CIU members kicked off the New Year by rallying in Saint John, NB, in support of the FB bargaining team. The rally, which took place on January 7, 2020, followed a meeting with Wayne Long, MP for Saint John-Rothesay. The PSAC-CIU bargaining team representing FB (Border Services) personnel is returning to the bargaining table later this month. Continue reading →

Mental health matters – at work and at home

Today is January 29, and social media is filled with discussions and posts seeking to raise awareness about mental health issues and initiatives. It is a good time to reflect on the state of mental health support within the Canadian government and public service.

Forums for discussing mental health can play an important role in de-stigmatizing issues, and we need to ensure structures are put in place to provide everyone with access to proper support and care, including in the workplace. Indeed, the Mental Health Commission of Canada recently published a study showing that nearly 9 in 10 Canadians want increased funding for mental health. Beyond access to care, workplace culture also needs to foster mental well-being and not hinder it.

It is no secret that, as law enforcement officers and public servants, our members are sometimes confronted with difficult, stressful situations as part of their daily work. Within CBSA, past employee surveys have shown a high level of dissatisfaction due to a psychologically unhealthy workplace. As a union, we’ve been vocal about the need for CBSA to address the many problems that plague the Agency when it comes to abuse of authority and harassment by managers.

You are not alone

When facing a difficult situation at work or at home, remember that you are not alone. People around you can be a source of support, and your union is there to assist you and help you find the resources you need. As CBSA employees, you can also contact Homewood Health for confidential assistance – be it for advice, counselling or treatment (for more information about Homewood Health and other resources, see our Mental Health page).

Just like physical well-being, mental health matters, in any setting.

TC bargaining: Government unwilling to budge on 10-year-old wages and 40-year-old job standards

The TC (Technical Services) bargaining team was in two days of hearings at the Public Interest Commission (PIC) followed by two days of mediation from December 17 to 19. Unfortunately, there has been no progress in negotiations, as the employer is deeply entrenched in its own positions. An overview of regressive proposals affecting all core public service bargaining units is available here, while TC-specific proposals are highlighted below.

PSAC is committed to continue pushing for improvements and resisting concessions in the TC collective agreement.

The union is also disappointed that the government, with all the resources at its disposal, refused to provide a PIC submission in both official languages. You can download PSAC’s TC PIC submission in English and French and access the government’s English only submission here.

Wage parity with comparable jobs

PSAC has proposed wage adjustments that keep up with the wages of other employees in comparable jobs both outside and inside the federal public service. In many cases, the wages of PSAC members in the TC group are lagging far behind those of other employees in similar positions. We have a pay study showing large wage gaps.

After more than a decade of frozen wages and rising inflation, the employer made an insulting counter-offer of wage adjustments totaling up to just 1% for these TC positions.

CFIA Comparability

We have an agreement with the employer that all EGs are equivalent to EGs who work at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). However, EGs at CFIA are paid 3.3% more than EGs in the TC group. We argued that all EG members should be paid that higher rate.

The employer has agreed that there is a gap, although they have stated the only movement they would make will come out of the 1%. That is to say that they won’t make up the entire gap, and that this amount will come out of the pockets of non-EG members.

Group Specific Allowances

Many smaller groups have huge wage gaps compared to their internal or their external comparators. PSAC is pushing to make up these gaps. This means we will push to:

expand some of the allowances to include more members
increase some allowances
introduce a number of new allowances for members

Again, the employer has agreed that there are a number of problems, although they reiterated the only movement they would make will come out of the 1%.

Fair Classification and the Occupational Group Structure

The classification system is broken and we are pushing for a commitment from the employer to get through the process of providing a new occupational group structure for the TC group, which is the first step in providing an updated and fair classification system so that members are all properly classified and paid fairly. For some of our members, their job standards are approaching 40 years old. We have waited long enough for this system to be implemented and are looking to negotiate a clear clause that would result in a concrete penalty for the employer if they miss any future deadlines.

The employer is trying to push off the date that they must complete this process. They have repeatedly been unable to meet any deadlines that have been set to fix the broken classification system. The employer has not been willing to make any commitments that will hold them accountable for completing this process.

Leaves and Other Common Issues

There is a large number of issues which are common to all of PSAC’s members in the federal government which are at the common-issues table. This list of issues includes improvements to vacation leave and other leaves, better protections for members in the event of layoffs, protections from discrimination and harassment, and new language on domestic violence leave.

These are not negotiated at our table, but there is still a long way to push the employer to respond to our issues.

PSAC will continue to mobilize its membership through increased workplace action, up to and including a strike, until a fair settlement is reached. Stay up to date with the latest on bargaining by signing up for PSAC email updates.

The original version of this article was first posted on the PSAC website.