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Press Release – Why is there a second battle at the Plains of Abraham?

Ottawa – UNE National President Kevin King will be on the picket line in Québec City, on Thursday, July 11, from 7am-11am, in solidarity with the UNE members on strike.

As of Tuesday, June 25 at midnight, UNE workers from the National Battlefields Commission (NBC) – Local 10206 – based in Québec City have been on strike and are still on the picket line, while negotiating a new collective agreement.

Our members provide information, animation and general maintenance services at the Plains of Abraham and its museum.

The Union of National Employees (UNE) is 100% supporting this strike action and supportive of the bargaining demands. The members are now entering their 16th day on strike.

“Our members have been without a new collective agreement since October 31, 2017. It is long overdue for them to have a new one with equitable salaries, good benefits and respect from their employer. These workers perform important duties preserving Canadian history. It is time for the federal government to step in and resolve the situation”, Kevin King declared ahead of his visit.

For Media Enquiries
Aurélie McDonald, Communications & Research Officer (613-298-7892 or aurelie.mcdonald@une-sen.org)

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Callout for Donations for the UNE Local 10206

As of Tuesday, June 25 at midnight, UNE workers from the National Battlefields Commission (NBC) based in Québec City have been on strike and are still on the picket line, while negotiating a new collective agreement.

Our members provide information, animation and general maintenance services at the Plains of Abraham and its museum.

The Union of National Employees (UNE) is 100% supporting this strike action and supportive of the bargaining demands. The members are now entering their 14th day on strike.

On behalf of the members of Local 10206, I am asking for your financial support and solidarity.

For UNE Locals, monetary donations can be made payable to the UNE National Office. Please specify by email the exact amount you wish to donate to:

  • Georges St-Jean
  • Robert Vanasse
  • This amount will be will be deducted from union dues paid to your Local by UNE.

Individual monetary donations can be made payable to “Section locale 10206” and mailed to:

Section locale 10206
AFPC-Québec
5050, boul. des Gradins, bureau 130
Québec (QC)
G2J 1P8

To learn more about the ongoing strike, please visit the J’appuie les employés des plaines d’Abraham and UNE Facebook pages.

Thank you for your support and solidarity,

Kevin A. King
UNE National President

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National Indigenous Peoples Day

National Indigenous Peoples Day is on June 21. Celebrate with activities such as attending a pow wow, eating traditional food and learning about Indigenous peoples. You can find information and event listings online.

I invite you to open your mind and heart to learn the truth, facts, history, current events. Read a report or book, watch a movie on the subject, perform your own research. Do you now about the treaties and their legacy? Do you know why the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Inquiry Final Report uses the word “genocide”? Do you know the definition of genocide and how it fits? Would you rather avert your attention? I would, but that would mean that nothing would improve. Do you know the 4 main areas identified in the MMIWG report? Do you understand why Indigenous peoples are called “stewards of the land”?

I am very happy to have finally pieced my teachings together to reveal this. I encourage you to do the same. The original peoples of this land and the settlers made treaties that exist today, for the most part. The post-treaty relationship has been shameful, hurtful but it can be fixed if enough of us are willing to look at the truth and make the needed changes suggested in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry. These are a few of the resources that we may use.

It is a long, daunting journey that we each make, or hinder. Being curious and believing in fairness and justice, I want my children to have a better, healthier community relationship than is possible today. The truth hurts but that is where the healing begins. My mind and heart are open. If yours are not, will you at the least open your ears?

With respect,

Ruby Langan
National Equity Representative for Aboriginal Peoples

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Statement by the UNE National President on the Government Update on Phoenix Pay System Replacement

Yesterday we learned from Treasury Board President Joyce Murray that the path to the replacement of the Phoenix Pay System is underway.

Three vendors have been selected as part of the procurement process, following consultations with different stakeholders, including unions, primarily PIPSC (Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada). A pilot project phase for the new pay and HR pay system called Next Gen should be put in place by the end of the year allowing public servants to test the three selected pay systems and provide valuable feedback to the government.

Although PIPSC National President Debi Daviau placed the emphasis on her membership’s expertise and their ability to codify and build computer systems, we hope that future joint announcements will involve ALL bargaining agents that have members under federal jurisdiction.

We still don’t know when Next Gen will be fully implemented, the government refusing to give a definitive launch date. It is a shame because it would give hope to thousands of UNE members who have been impacted by the Phoenix fiasco over the past 3 years.

Along with PSAC, we are still demanding a fair compensation for damage done to our members.

We are in the middle of National Public Service Week (NPSW). It is also an election year and many UNE members are in bargaining. Our members deserve to be FULLY paid and ON TIME. No more mistakes, no more excuses, no more delays. We demand a pay and HR system that will work from Coast to Coast to Coast and we demand it now. Let’s Get It Done!

In Solidarity,

Kevin King
UNE National President

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PSAC welcomes powerful report of inquiry on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls

The Public Service Alliance of Canada welcomes and is encouraged by the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

The report, released in a special ceremony on June 3, has called the violence against Indigenous women and girls a “Canadian genocide” and includes extensive recommendations aimed at government, the police, and the Canadian public.

According to Chief Commissioner Marion Buller, there must be a “paradigm shift” to decolonize Canadian society and all Indigenous communities must be resourced and funded sufficiently to bring social and economic security to all. The report makes a distinction between the unique experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Metis, as well as Indigenous 2SLGBTQQIA (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual) people.

The report concludes that “these abuses and violations have resulted in the denial of safety, security, and human dignity.”

Sweeping recommendations

The report contains 231 recommendations to address the violence against Indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

Importantly, these include two of the main asks of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, supported by PSAC’s Red Dress campaign: a national action plan to stop the violence, and that Indigenous peoples, including families and survivors, be included in developing and implementing a national action plan.

Other recommendations include:

  • Implementation of international instruments that the government has ratified
  • Creation of a National Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson and a National Indigenous and Human Rights Tribunal
  • A national action plan to ensure equitable access to employment, clean water, housing, education, safety, and health care
  • Guaranteed income for all Indigenous peoples
  • Long-term funding for education programs and awareness campaigns related to violence prevention
  • Recognition of Indigenous languages as an official language, with the same status, recognition and protection as French and English
  • Major reforms to the justice system and policing to ensure these cases are addressed more seriously by the justice system
  • Legislated paid leave and disability benefits and “appropriate trauma care” to Indigenous victims of crime or other traumatic events
  • Developing an effective response to human trafficking cases and sexual exploitation and violence

At the release ceremony, Commissioner Buller called on ALL Canadians to:

  1. Read the report
  2. Speak out against racism, sexism, and violence
  3. Hold governments to account
  4. Decolonize yourself by learning about the true history of Canada

PSAC has been calling for action

PSAC members and activists have spent more than a decade advocating and rallying for a serious investigation into the fact that more that more than 1,200 Indigenous women and girls have been murdered or gone missing since 1980. Our members can be proud of the work they have done to gain justice for Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

PSAC will review the report and the recommendations in their entirety and provide more information in the coming weeks.

PSAC encourages all of our members and all Canadians to read this report as part of the reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples of this country.

Read the Report here

Source: PSAC

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Filipino Heritage Month

Mabuhay! (In the Filipino language Tagalog, mabuhay means “long live”)

In the early 1970s my mother and auntie immigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from the Philippines in hopes of finding a better future. Born and raised as a Filipino Canadian, I am beyond blessed for the sacrifices that they made for our family. I am sure many people in Canada can relate to my family story.

Filipino immigration began late compared to other nationalities. In fact, records of Filipino immigrants in Canada were found in the 1930s and were in small numbers. In the 1990s there was an increase in immigration from the Philippines. Opportunities to work and live as caregivers across Canada opened many doors. As a result, more began to settle in major Canadian cities, such as Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

The goal for many Filipinos was to bring their immediate families to Canada. An individual would arrive as a temporary worker, leaving their spouse and children behind. Reunions would occur with their families in Canada as soon as permanent residency was achieved. Filipinos, along with many other Asian Canadians, contribute to the country’s economy greatly.

Many individuals from the Filipino community have made a profound impact on the Canadian society. In 2012, Canada’s first Filipino senator, the late Tobias C. Enverga Jr. was appointed. As a member of the Senate, one of his primary focuses was to advocate for people with Down Syndrome, a condition that one of his daughters had. Rey Pagtakhan, another Filipino Canadian was first elected to Parliament in 1988. He also served as the Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) from 2001 to 2002. Today, many Filipinos in Canada continue to shape the country’s character and heritage in more ways than ever before.

Filipino Heritage Month takes place every June and is a month-long celebration. It was declared in Canada on October 30, 2018, in the Filipino Heritage Month Act, 2017. It is significant to acknowledge that the declaration of the Filipino Heritage Month was initiated by Paulina Corpuz of Toronto, Ontario, through a petition. From coast to coast to coast, throughout all regions of Canada, I encourage you and your families to attend events, join activities, try different Filipino cuisine, share stories, learn the language, and celebrate the special relationship between the Filipino people and Canada.

Salamat! (In the Filipino language Tagalog, salamat means “thank you”)

Jacqueline Nanali
Regional Representative for Human Rights, Manitoba

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Parks Canada: Negotiations progress gradually

This week, negotiations continued towards securing a new collective agreement for over 4,000 Parks Canada members. Bargaining teams from both sides met in Ottawa from April 30 to May 2.

PSAC’s Parks negotiating team saw some movement at the bargaining table, but in small increments. Although the employer did come to the table with more language in this round, they still showed reluctance to move on major items. Most of the negotiations this week focused on non-monetary articles.

Securing Phoenix protections

This week, our negotiating team tabled our Phoenix pay administration proposal, which includes language to secure interest on monies owed if the employer fails to pay employees on time. This provision also includes reimbursements for members who have to seek accounting and financial management services to remedy inaccurate income reporting. Also included are other provisions to protect employees such as deduction rules for overpayment and emergency salary advances. The employer has yet to respond to this proposal.

The importance of domestic violence leave

The highlight of the week was our presentation to the employer on the value of domestic violence leave. PSAC presented overwhelming research on what’s at stake for those experiencing domestic violence and how this impacts the workplace. Our team emphasized the importance of accommodations and the cost of doing nothing. The employer seemed receptive to this proposal, which resulted in a productive discussion.

No progress on key items

Discussions continued on other bargaining demands such as vacation leave, whistleblowing, the Joint Learning Program, designated paid holidays, vacation leave, injury on duty leave, and joining the National Joint Council. During this time our bargaining team secured minor improvements to harassment language and in the articles relating to the definition of family.

Bargaining team rejects clawbacks

Unfortunately, the employer continues to ask for concessions concerning seasonal employees. The employer wants to prorate the number of family-related days for seasonal employees which would ultimately reduce the amount of leave members would have access to. Our negotiation team firmly conveyed to the employer that we will not accept concessions.

Parks Canada negotiations are set to continue May 28 to 30.

Source: PSAC

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One is too many: No one should die on the job

Who’s counting?

April 28 is the National Day of Mourning when we remember those who have lost their lives or suffered injury and illness because of their work.

Every day there are opportunities to prevent workplace injury and death, but we can’t do it without the data we need to drive our decision-making.

In Canada, we collect statistics on many things including the weather, but we fail to accurately record the number of individuals who have died as a result of their work. Because of this, we do not learn the lessons that would allow us to prevent future tragedies.

Apart from data compiled by Workers’ Compensation on workplace injuries and fatalities, no Canadian department or agency is actually counting occupational fatalities and injuries. The widely quoted 951 fatalities in the 2017 statistics (the most recent year available) from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Board of Canada (AWCBC) should not be used as the sole benchmark for work-related fatalities or injuries. The AWCBC figures only account for approved compensation claims, not the actual total of injuries and fatalities that occurred in any given year. Recent Canadian research demonstrates that work-related fatalities could be as much as 10 to 13 times higher than official data indicates.

This lack of reporting means thousands of injuries and deaths are missing from occupational health and safety statistics. These include workers exempt from coverage like the self-employed, banking employees, domestic workers, many farmers and agricultural workers, commuting fatalities, stress-induced suicides, unapproved occupational diseases, employees of private clubs, and temporary or undocumented workers.

In addition, in the federal sector, when a person dies due to a particular hazard, the compensation board does not provide the root cause analysis to employers. The Coroner does not give employers a notice of death, nor is the root cause of the injury or fatality necessarily considered in the required hazard prevention program – as though every fatality is “an accident.”

Let’s push to make 2019 the year that the government of Canada begins to accurately document and use evidence-based recording to prevent workplace injuries and save lives. One is too many – no one should die on the job.

Source: PSAC

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2019 Federal Budget


Complementary to the PSAC analysis, UNE went through the 2019 federal budget. Here is a summary of the measures that matter to you as a UNE member.

Phoenix and NextGen 

“To continue progress on stabilizing the current pay system, Budget 2019 provides an additional $21.7 million in 2018–19 to address urgent pay administration pressures (partially sourced from existing departmental funds), and proposes to invest an additional $523.3 million over five years, starting in 2019–20, to ensure that adequate resources are dedicated to addressing payroll errors.”

PSAC and UNE welcome these additional funding measures to address the Phoenix fiasco, but as pointed out by PSAC, “they fall significantly short of what is required to end the pay nightmares of Canada’s federal public service workers.”

We are happy that the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) will be receiving an additional $9.2 million in 2019–2020 for any telephone enquiries.

As for NextGen, there is not much detail in this budget plan other than public sector unions will be consulted during the review process.

Gender Equality

The gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) is work in progress and Budget 2019 allocates $1.5 million to the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) over five years. TBS will work with other departments in the collection of GBA+ data.
The new Department for Women and Gender Equality will receive $160 million over a five-year period. This important investment will allow strengthen its mandate.

Extra Funding for the LGBTQ2+ Secretariat

$3.6 million is being allocated to the LGBTQ2+ Secretariat over three years. The Secretariat collaborates with stakeholders to inform the “Government’s activities on issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.”

Support for Racialized Workers

PSAC and UNE “welcome the investment of $45 million over three years to support a new Anti-Racism Strategy along with an Anti-Racism Secretariat. We hope the government will integrate PSAC’s recommendations in making a stronger commitment to employment equity, accessible and transparent staffing processes and reconciliation with the Indigenous community. The $25 million over five years for projects and capital assistance to celebrate, share knowledge, and build capacity in Black Canadian communities is long awaited funding.”

Parks Canada

We can read at page 300 that $19 million will be allocated to fund capital projects in national parks, national marine conservation areas and national historic sites. That does not address major concerns raised in a report commissioned by Parks Canada. The agency has “deferred up to $9.5 billion in badly needed work – and ought to spend up to $3.3 billion on top of that to cope with the threat of climate change.” “When reviewed, 24 per cent of the asset[s] were assessed as being in good condition, 36 per cent in fair condition, and 40 per cent in poor or very poor condition,” says the report. In other words, this budget does not address a systemic situation that Parks Canada has been facing for years.

Lack of Measures Precarious Workers

This budget lacks measures to address the issue of using temporary agencies and casual contracts, and to protect the most vulnerable workers through a federal workers’ compensation plan.

Social Security Tribunal

Following the recommendations of a 2017 independent review of the Social Security Tribunal of Canada and comments expressed by Canadians trough consultations, the government is trying to fix a situation created by the Harper Government. “To make the recourse process for EI, CPP, and OAS easier to navigate and more responsive to the needs of Canadians, Budget 2019 proposes to invest $253.8 million over five years, starting in 2019–20, with $56.7 million per year ongoing.”

Social Development Minister Duclos has recently declared that “the government will bring back the three-person hearings for the first layer of benefit appeals — in a body separate from the tribunal — and retain the tribunal’s single arbitrator for the second, and final, layer.” UNE welcomes this funding.

Federal Public Service Dental Plan Coverage

These improvements for the dental coverage follow an important PSAC victory. After lengthy negotiations and an arbitration process, PSAC won the arbitral decision for the Public Service Dental Care Plan late last year.

Making Workplaces more inclusive

The government has pledged $12 million over three years to support employment for persons with intellectual disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

As for federal workplaces, “[t]he [g]overnment has committed to hiring at least 5,000 people with disabilities over the next five years.” In order to reach that goal, it will spend $13.7 million over that period of time.

Staffing at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

We welcome investments in staffing at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Indigenous Communities across Canada

Budget 2019 includes 24 measures for Indigenous peoples, totaling approximately $4.7 billion. Federal measures towards Indigenous Peoples include:

  • $127 million to create the National Council for Reconciliation
  • $1.2 billion over three years for Jordan’s Principle
  • $739 million over five years for water
  • $333.7 million over five years + $115.7 million ongoing to implement the Indigenous Languages Act
  • $327.7 million over five years for post-secondary education
  • Loan forgiveness and reimbursement for comprehensive claims and research for specific claims

As pointed out in the PSAC article, there is “no dedicated funding for Indigenous women’s organizations, to support and carry out the necessary work that will come out of the recommendations of the [National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls]. This is a glaring gap.”

Canada’s North

Budget 2019 focuses on four areas:

  • People: options for post-secondary education are expanded; Northern Isolated Community Initiatives Fund established over five years; measures to improve people’s health and well-being
  • Economic Development: measures in resource development, innovation and business growth
  • Infrastructure: one major announcement is restoring rail service to Churchill, MB; more funding for more infrastructure, cleaner energy and high-speed Internet access
  • Science and Environment: more support provided towards science and research, and conserving the Arctic environment