Tag Archives: PA

PA group: PIC hearings wrap up as PSAC continues to fight for remote work protections

The Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearing conducted by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board for the PA group was held from November 28 to December 1. The bargaining team and employer both presented their positions and are now awaiting a decision from the PIC.

Our bargaining team will determine next steps once the PIC report is received. If an agreement cannot be reached during the PIC process, PSAC members should be prepared to continue escalating our actions to reach a fair contract, including taking strike action if necessary.

Stay informed and engaged

Getting involved and taking action are key as we push for a fair contract. Be prepared, get mobilized, stay engaged, and be ready to take action:

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

PA group: No movement on wages, key issues after mediation

Following a week of mediation, the federal government is refusing to budge on its wage offer that would effectively deliver a pay cut to nearly 95,000 federal public service workers in the PA group facing record high inflation.

Their revised wage offer was initially proposed during Common Issues mediation in September and would average 2.06% per year over a four-year agreement. Treasury Board held fast to this wage offer during mediation October 4-7.

Our team made it clear that’s not good enough, and PSAC members expect this government to come to the table with a fair contract that protects workers’ buying power.

The government is also still demanding concessions, and made no move to resolve key issues for PA Group members, including group-specific allowances, improvements to call centre working conditions, wage adjustments, or an allowance to compensate employees who use Indigenous languages in the workplace.

Treasury Board seems intent on delaying negotiations and dragging their feet on our most important issues, setting back our members who have been without a new contract since June 2021. In response, PSAC has launched both in-person and online strike training for our more than 165,000 federal public service members to ratchet up the pressure on the government to bargain fairly.

PSAC will now raise these issues at Public Interest Commission hearings, to be scheduled this fall by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board. Meanwhile, dates have been set for mediation for the SV, TC and EB groups:

  • SV: October 11-14
  • TC: October 18-21
  • EB: October 25-27

If an agreement cannot be reached during the Public Interest Commission process, PSAC members should be prepared to continue escalating our actions, up to and including taking strike action if necessary to reach a fair contract.

Stay informed and engaged

Getting involved and taking action are key as we push for a fair contract. Be prepared, get mobilized, stay engaged, and be ready to take action:

Keep your contact information up to date to receive all the latest bargaining updates.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

CIU funds top-up strike pay for its PA, SV, TC and EB members

At its September 2022 meeting, in Ottawa, the CIU National Board of Directors passed a motion to establish an additional strike fund to better support CIU PA, SV, TC and EB members during this current round of bargaining.

The fund would allow CIU members in good standing who are part of these groups, and who participate in strike activities, to access an additional $50 per strike day, on top of the existing $75/day provided by the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

This is similar to the additional strike pay that the 2021 CIU Triennial Convention had created for FB members for that table’s previous round of bargaining.

This decision by the CIU National Board of Directors comes as PA, SV, TC and EB members await the result of a Public Interest Commission, which could set the stage for possible strike action.

The CIU Board of Directors is hopeful that, should strike actions prove necessary, this display of solidarity across tables will help ensure that the membership is successful, that Treasury Board bargaining groups have the resources they need to win the fight for a fair agreement, and that the employer knows we’re ready to fight as one.

For any questions regarding this top-up strike pay, please contact your Branch President.

TB Bargaining: Proceeding to Public Interest Commission

PSAC’s fight for a fair deal is progressing as a federal labour board last week moved to establish a Public Interest Commission (PIC) to help advance negotiations for 120,000 PSAC members.

The Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Board called for the establishment of a PIC for the EB, PA, SV, and TC bargaining tables last week to help PSAC and Treasury Board reach an agreement.

This follows on the heels of PSAC declaring impasse in May after months of Treasury Board stalling in negotiations, culminating in Treasury Board’s insulting wage offer that’s completely out of touch with soaring rates of inflation. This in addition to proposals for further concessions left PSAC no choice but to declare impasse.

During the PIC process, PSAC will continue to fight for a strong agreement that includes fair wages, better work-life balance, job security and inclusive workplaces. The cost of living continues to soar, so PSAC is working hard to get a fair deal quickly.

To that effect, PSAC will be lobbying members of Parliament throughout the summer months to keep the pressure on, while also holding regional events for members to get engaged at this vital time.

How does a PIC work?

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

The PIC is a panel of three people — a chairperson appointed by the Labour Board and nominees appointed by the union and the employer. Each side presents briefs to explain their positions on the outstanding issues at a hearing and the PIC issues a report with non-binding recommendations for reaching a settlement.

Once the PIC releases its report, the union will meet to discuss the recommendations at which point the parties typically return to the table to resume negotiations with the employer. While the timeline is largely dependent on availability of the three parties, we expect to receive the report at some point in the fall.

Stay informed, engaged

Your involvement as a member becomes increasingly important as negotiations advance. Here are some tools and resources to help you stay informed and engaged:

And please keep your contact information up to date via the member portal to receive all the latest bargaining updates.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

PA bargaining: Treasury Board ignores key wage, equity issues

Negotiations at the PA table are nearing the breaking point after Treasury Board presented their comprehensive offer on April 28 rife with concessions and which fails to respond to most of the PA team’s key demands.

The employer refused to budge on the unacceptable wage offer they presented at the Common Issues table in March, with economic increases averaging 1.75% per year that fall well below inflation. Treasury Board also completely ignored the PA team’s key demand for wage parity with members at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Mental health and equity overlooked

The bargaining team was dismayed by Treasury Board’s silence on proposals related to mental health and equity. The employer did not respond to the team’s proposal for leave to support employee mental health and was completely silent about our proposal for an allowance to recognize employees who use Indigenous languages in the workplace.

Treasury Board continues to reject PSAC’s proposals for mandatory training to address systemic racism, harassment, and discrimination for all federal public service workers and managers at the Common Issues table. This has left the team with no evidence that the government recognizes the need to dismantle systemic racism and address discrimination in the federal public service.

Our bargaining team is very concerned about the lack of progress towards a fair deal for PA members.

Upcoming national event, stay updated

Other Treasury Board groups including SV, TC, and EB have bargaining dates set for May, which will give a clearer picture of how Treasury Board negotiations will shape up going forward.

As Treasury Board bargaining reaches a critical point, we encourage you to register for our May 17 national panel to discuss the latest bargaining news, why strong mobilization is more important than ever, and how other PSAC members have taken job action to win important victories during the pandemic.

You can also stay informed and engaged during this round of negotiations using our bargaining toolkit.

Please be sure to keep your contact information up to date via the member portal to receive all the latest updates as we negotiate your next contract.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.