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Job Classification Review FAQ

In August 2025, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) indicated that it would be reviewing the job classification of certain positions within the FB group in the National Headquarters (NHQ) region. The Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) has prepared the following FAQ to help union representatives and affected members navigate this process.

Note: As the current exercise is limited to members of the FB group the NHQ region, the following information is provided with the FB collective agreement in mind, although language in the PA collective agreement is similar. Should union representatives have questions about the job classification review process as it applies to other groups, they are advised to contact the CIU National Labour Relations Officer assigned to their region.

Periodically, the employer may opt to review the classification of certain jobs to ensure the duties performed still match the assigned occupational group (FB, AS, PM, etc.) and level (-02, -03, etc.).

The Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act (FPSLRA) gives the Employer the right “to assign duties to and to classify positions and persons employed ...” (Division 2 Management Rights para 7). PSAC acknowledges that it is within the Employer’s rights to review and adjust the classification of any job and its duties (https://psacunion.ca/node/8373).

Management will review the characteristics and elements of the job description to allocate points according to the point-rating plan. The sum of the points will determine the total value for the position, which will correspond to the appropriate group and level. You may be asked to provide a list of the duties and work activities you perform as part of your job. It is important that your list be accurate and thorough to ensure that the points are allocated correctly.

For more information about the point-rating plan for the FB group, you can consult the following:

Not all positions are necessarily being reviewed as part of a classification review exercise, and not all employees will need to be actively involved. In other words, even if you occupy one of the positions that is being reviewed as part of the classification review exercise, you may not need to play an active role.

Should you be asked to actively participate in the review process, please contact your local union representative and/or Branch Presidents. Union representatives should contact the CIU Labour Relations Officer assigned to their Branch for further guidance.

You have the right to be informed in writing if your position will be classified downward. You also have the right to protection under the Collective Agreement (see the section My position is to be reclassified, below).

The review could result in no change, or to a position being reclassified to a different level and/or group. The reclassified position could have an attainable maximum rate of pay that is the same, higher or lower than it is in your current position. Appendix H of the collective agreement states that you will be notified in writing if your position is to be reclassified to a lower attainable maximum rate of pay.

The short answer is that all terms and conditions of employment, including pay and benefits, are generally protected thanks to Appendix H of the collective agreement.

Appendix H (Part 1 para 2) states that “... an encumbered position shall be deemed to have retained for all purposes the former group and level ...” and further specifies that this includes salary protection status.

You will therefore retain the rates of pay of your former group and level until you vacate the position you have been reclassified to (either due to a promotion, a deployment, or a transfer), or the attainable maximum for your reclassified level becomes greater than your current level. This is what is meant by ‘red circling’.

Furthermore, in addition to salary, as long as your position is being reclassified under the same bargaining agent (PSAC), all other terms and conditions of employment are also protected, per Treasury Boad.

It is highly unlikely that any positions being reviewed as part of the ongoing NHQ exercise will be reclassified under a bargaining agent other than PSAC. Should there be a situation where you think that your position will be reclassified under another bargaining agent, please reach out to your local union representative and/or Branch President so that CIU can assist you.

Not necessarily. If it is established that the duties of a given position are found to better match a different bargaining unit, the position may be reclassified to that bargaining unit. For example, a position that is currently classified as FB could be reclassified to PA (PM, AS, or CR). If the group of your position is reclassified, however, you benefit from the protections outlined in Appendix H of the collective agreement.

Note: As always, please speak with a local union representative and/or your Branch President before filing a grievance.

It is important that the job description being submitted for classification review accurately reflects the complete and current duties and responsibilities of a position as assigned by management. If your duties and responsibilities have changed or if the statement of duties has changed, you can file a statement of duties grievance. This type of grievance can be referred to adjudication for resolution by a third party.

If you disagree with the classification that is assigned to the statement of duties of your position, you can file a classification grievance. This type of grievance cannot be referred to adjudication, so the employer’s decision on the grievance will be final and binding, even if you and CIU disagree.

Both the statement of duties grievance and the classification grievance are subject to the grievance procedure detailed in the FPSLRA (not the Collective Agreement). You must file the grievance within 35 days, according to 68(1) of the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Regulations. The grievance should include the following information:

  • Your name, mailing address, email address, phone number, place of work, position title, division and section or unit and classification
  • The employer’s name
  • A statement that establishes the alleged violation or misinterpretation that you are grieving (for example, “the Statement of Work for my position (group and number) that was created on (date) does not accurately reflect the characteristics of my duties” or “CBSA classified my position incorrectly ”).
  • The date on which you became aware of the issue you are grieving, usually the day one which you received the notice that your statement of work (job description) or your classification changed.
  • The corrective action requested.

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