Our CIU/PSAC bargaining team for Border Services spent nine days (November 1 to 9) in talks with the CBSA and Treasury Board for a new collective agreement. We reiterated our key issues.
Fair wages: Our proposals seek to achieve wage parity with the broader law enforcement community. We tabled a market adjustment to bring us in line with the RCMP wage grid. The employer’s wage position on the general economic increase is a .75 per year, which will not even keep pace with the rising cost of living.
Retirement reform: We are seeking a commitment from Treasury Board to support the introduction of a retirement regime consistent with other federal law enforcement agencies.
New protections: We need new protections in the context of discipline (PSI and SRI), and against abuse of authority. We also need improved legal indemnification protections. We are demanding contract language to protect against the replacing of officers at land, air and sea port-of-entries with machines. Finally, we are looking for language that protects officers that are unsuccessful in CDT and Firearm Recertification.
Hours of work: Our team is seeking a paid meal period that is on par with other law enforcement agencies, as well as protections against management’s unilateral cancelation of compressed work weeks and telework arrangements. It’s also time for an increase in the shift premium.
Sick leave: We continue to seek improvements to the current sick leave regime. We’ve made some progress over the last session on this issue. The Employer has proposed a Memorandum of Agreement to deal with sick leave, in order to allow for discussion. We have been very clear that any discussion must respect our principles. Our principles with regard to sick leave remain the same – it must be contained in the collective agreement, it must provide for wage replacement, sick leave banks must be preserved and there must be no third party provider.
WFA: So far the government has refused to address our key proposals with regard to the Workforce Adjustment Appendix. Given the stress and turmoil that many PSAC members faced during the four-year period of public sector cuts and layoffs, we want to ensure that WFA operates in a fair, transparent and impartial manner.
Mediation: PSAC has suggested further bargaining with the assistance of a mediator.
For more information concerning FB negotiations, be sure to visit psacunion.ca/fb.
A version of this article was originally published on the PSAC website.
