PA Group: Update on Occupational Group Structure review 

Treasury Board informed PSAC they will be making changes to the Program and Administrative Services Occupational Group Structure (OGS) review timeline and next steps due to their continued inability to meet the target date of June 24, 2024. Treasury Board is unable to provide a new target date at this time.

The OGS review is an effort by Treasury Board to modernize classifications in the core public service by updating and replacing outdated occupational group definitions and job evaluation standards. This work is intended to align classification groups, many of which are decades old, with the work of today’s public service. Members working in the federal public service can find out more by visiting the Classification Renewal GCintranet page (only accessible for federal government employees).

PSAC’s longstanding objectives on classification reform continue to be:

  • Replacing the current, outdated Treasury Board classification system;
  • Developing job evaluation standards and job descriptions that reflect current work realities and that are compliant with pay equity standards.

PSAC is pursuing a policy grievance on Treasury Board’s lack of meaningful consultation, and we are awaiting a hearing date.

PSAC will continue to ensure that consultation takes place and that our members are kept informed throughout the process.

Preparations underway for PA conversion 

Departments and agencies of the core public administration are preparing for the PA conversion by making sure all information related to positions in human resources systems is accurate and up to date, and that job descriptions are ready to be evaluated.

PA group members may receive updated job descriptions or may be asked to comment on proposed job descriptions. We encourage you to contact your union local or PSAC component for guidance if you have concerns about your current job description.

How will this affect my job classification? 

At this point, the employer has not completed its job description evaluation, so we do not know how individual positions will be classified under the new system.

Later in the conversion process, PA group members will receive advance notice of the anticipated classification of their positions from their human resources departments. We will provide members with information on what to expect before this stage in the process begins.

For now, you can find a high-level overview of the anticipated composition of the new PA sub-groups in our previous update.

We will keep you updated as the implementation moves forward. You can also reach us with your questions at PA-OGS@psac-afpc.com.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.