The Statistics Survey Operations (SSO) bargaining team made progress on hours of work for SSO members despite frustrating stalling tactics by the employer during negotiations on October 26-27, 2021.
Statistics Canada failed to bring any new proposals to the table even though members have been without a collective agreement since 2018. PSAC submitted two comprehensive packages of bargaining proposals in May and July, and the team still hasn’t received an adequate response from the employer.
Despite the delays by the employer, Statistics Canada and the team had a lengthy discussion about hours of work. The team is advocating for language in the collective agreement that ensures more regular, full-time work hours for SSO members.
PSAC plans to meet with the employer again before the end of the year and expect Statistics Canada to respond to our proposals for significant improvements in working conditions and work hours, including:
Wage parity with the core public service
An allowance to fully cover off personal expenses when working remotely
Better job security and a fair and transparent process around the assignment of work hours
Improved maternity and parental leave benefits
Improved shift premiums for evenings and weekends
Improvements to sick leave, family leave, vacation leave and compassionate care leave
PSAC won a landmark pay equity victory for federal public service workers in 1999 that paved the way for more than 230,000 workers – mainly in women-dominated positions – to receive retroactive salary adjustments totaling over $3.6 billion. Members also secured ongoing pay adjustments to provide equal pay for work of equal value.
Despite this historic victory, women today still do not receive equal pay for work of equal value. The new federal Pay Equity Act is meant to address this ongoing inequity, and union members play a vital role in this process.
Pay Equity Act implementation begins
The Act was put into force August 31, 2021. This significant piece of legislation requires all federally regulated employers to implement pay equity plans within three years.
You may have already received a notice from your employer. By November 1, 2021, all employers are required to inform employees about the pay equity review process.
In order to develop and implement pay equity plans, many federally regulated employers will be required to establish joint employee-employer committees.
In unionized workplaces, union representatives will sit on these joint committees, adding a strong voice for workers at the table.
Joint committee members will develop a pay equity plan to determine if there are any compensation increases needed to ensure that employees are receiving equal pay for work of equal value.
This may be a lengthy and complex process for some joint committees that will require strong union representation and member participation.
How can I join a joint committee in my workplace?
For members employed by Treasury Board, the CRA or federal Agencies, your union Local will be working closely with your respective Component on these joint committees.
For Directly Chartered Locals, members will likely play a more direct role on joint committees.
To learn more about joint pay equity committees in your workplace, or if you want to get involved, please contact your union local. You can also contact PSAC’s pay equity team with any questions.
Potential employee compensation increases
Once the joint committee agrees on a draft pay equity plan, the committee is required to share the draft plan with all employees in the workplace for input.
When the final pay equity plan is adopted, employers must address any wage gaps by increasing the compensation of employees who are not receiving equal pay for work of equal value.
You can also reach out to PSAC’s pay equity team with any specific questions you have about the pay equity legislation, how to join your workplace’s joint pay equity committee and the work of the joint committees at any time.
Employers are looking ahead to how and when they can safely reopen offices, and many employers — including municipalities, provinces, and the federal government — are implementing vaccination mandates for their employees.
PSAC remains in support of vaccination requirements to protect the health and safety of our members and their communities.
We have compiled several frequently asked questions to provide PSAC members working in sectors outside the federal government with everything they need to know on this important issue. This page will be regularly updated to reflect the changing circumstances.
Prime Minister Trudeau has named his new cabinet, responsible for carrying out the new government’s election promises. Their decisions will impact all PSAC members, particularly those employed in the federal public service.
PSAC welcomes the new and returning ministers, including the new President of the Treasury Board, Minister Mona Fortier, new Minister for Public Service and Procurement, Minister Filomena Tassi, and the new Minister of Labour, Minister Seamus O’Regan Jr.
“We expect Minister Fortier and Treasury Board to come to the bargaining table ready to address the issues that matter most to federal public service workers, including remote work, systemic racism, contracting out, job security, work-life balance and fair wages,” said PSAC National President Chris Aylward.
“We also urge Minister of Defence Anita Anand to prioritize creating safe, inclusive, and respectful workplaces free of harassment for all employees in the Department of National Defence. Steps must be taken immediately to improve DND’s toxic culture and its impact on employees.
PSAC will be watching for progress on key election issues including child care, post-secondary education, gender equity, systemic racism and reconciliation, an end to private long-term care and concrete action on climate change.
“Canadians have put their trust in Prime Minister Trudeau to lead the country through a just pandemic recovery,” said Aylward. “We will continue to hold this government accountable and make sure nobody is left behind.”
Last week, Treasury Board announced they would begin a new Phoenix overpayment recovery process for a number of PSAC members they believe were overpaid by the Phoenix pay system in 2016 and 2017.
PSAC has serious concerns with the new recovery plan because it significantly changes the way that PSAC and other bargaining agents negotiated how overpayments would be recovered. Typically, an employee’s whole pay file needs to be reconciled before any recovery takes place to ensure the amount owed is correct.
Affected employees may receive a letter from the Pay Centre asking them to acknowledge in writing that they were overpaid by Phoenix and to select an option for repayment. Employees will be given four weeks to respond. Otherwise, the Pay Centre will begin the overpayment recovery immediately.
National President Chris Aylward has repeatedly intervened to put a halt to this recovery process, and we are looking into our legal options to contest it.
Although we believe that employees who know they have been overpaid should acknowledge their debt and pay it back with a repayment plan that works for them, tens of thousands of PSAC members have been paid inaccurately by Phoenix and may not know if they were overpaid or underpaid nearly six years ago. Employees should not be compelled to acknowledge an overpayment – especially one they may not have the information to confirm is actually owed – under threat of immediate recovery if they don’t respond.
PSAC has repeatedly urged the government to hire and train enough workers to fix Phoenix errors as quickly as they can and to deal with older errors first. There should no longer be any unaddressed pay errors from 2016-2017.
In the meantime, if you receive a letter asking you to acknowledge and overpayment the union recommends that:
If you are convinced you owe the overpayment amount stated in the letter, you can acknowledge that you owe the government the debt, and choose one of the repayment options that are provided to you in your letter, or request alternate arrangements if the payment options will result in financial or other hardship. We note that, in acknowledging that you owe this amount, you will likely waive any defence that may be available if the government exceeds the six year deadline for starting recovery of this amount.
If you are not certain you owe the government the amount set out in the letter, respond to PSPC within 4 weeks and write:
“I have not been provided with enough evidence to convince me that I owe this money to the government because of an overpayment in (date).”
If you continue to experienced errors in your pay in either of the above circumstances, you should also write:
“I continue to experience errors in my pay. I request that the recovery of any overpayment be deferred until such time that my pay file has been reconciled and I have received the correct pay for three consecutive pay periods.”
Regardless of which of the above three options you choose, add either of the following if they apply to you:
a. “I was previously assured that the payments I received were correct and relied on these assurances to my detriment. I should not have to repay these amounts.”
b. “I was previously unaware that I had received an overpayment and understood that my pay was correct. I relied on that understanding and have suffered hardship as a result and should not have to repay these amounts.”
If you choose either of the second, third or fourth options, or if you have any other concerns not addressed above, or require any assistance with the above please contact us with your response by submitting a general inquiries form. Select Phoenix Pay Issues from the What is your inquiry about? drop down menu.
The federal government released its vaccination policy for federal public service workers October 6, mandating vaccinations for all employees in federally regulated workplaces, including more than 160,000 PSAC members.
Treasury Board has encouraged Crown corporations, agencies, and the Canadian Forces to implement similar policies, but this policy will not immediately apply to them.
PSAC fully supports a federal vaccination policy to protect the health and safety of our members and the Canadians they serve. We know that increasing vaccination rates is the best and most reliable way to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our workplaces and our communities and encourage our members to be vaccinated.
However, if the goal is to keep the workplace healthy and safe, this policy still falls short.
The government rushed their vaccination policy without meaningful consultation with the unions representing federal public service workers. Treasury Board gave unions less than a single business day to provide feedback on their policy, and then failed to incorporate any of the changes into their final policy. Our union supports the government’s vaccination framework, but how it is applied matters, and we expect the employer’s implementation of the policy will respect:
Members’ privacy rights: Any personal information collected must be shared on a need-to-know basis only and collected and stored for a limited period and in keeping with the Privacy Act.
Bargaining rights: Bargaining agents should be included in meaningful consultation as these frameworks and policies evolve, including adequate time to provide feedback and input.
Human rights: Members’ human rights must be protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act, including the duty to accommodate.
Health and safety: Workplace health and safety committees must be consulted about the implementation of the policy.
Equity and inclusion: The policy must consider the adverse impacts of the policy on historically disadvantaged groups of employees, including racialized, Black and Indigenous employees.
Consistency: The government’s vaccination policy should also apply to federal contractors and the general public who interact with federal public service workers to ensure the health and safety of our members. The vaccination policy also needs to be applied consistently across federal departments and agencies.
Fairness: Employees who are required to be vaccinated or who experience side effects should not have to use their own sick leave banks, and this should not be left up to the discretion of individual managers.
While the vast majority of PSAC’s membership is fully vaccinated, PSAC will continue to represent unvaccinated members who have punitive action taken against them as a result of their vaccination status.
We’ll continue to work to ensure the implementation of the policy protects the health and safety and human rights of our members while ensuring their rights to privacy are respected.
Keep your member info up to date to receive all the latest updates about the government’s vaccination policy, bargaining issues and more.
During talks with Treasury Board September 27-29, the common issues team focused on improvements to equity and remote work measures for more than 120,000 federal public service workers.
Throughout this round of bargaining, PSAC aims to negotiate fair collective agreements that recognize the way the pandemic has radically changed work in the federal public service. We’ll continue to focus on the issues that matter most to PSAC members – remote work, technological changes, job security in an uncertain economy, work-life balance and the effects of major inequalities for marginalized groups.
In this session, the bargaining team focused on:
Remote work: To ensure members are treated fairly, provisions governing remote work must become part of the collective agreement. PSAC is proposing measures to ensure accessibility, safety, and flexibility for members seeking remote work arrangements.
Right to disconnect: Despite the advantages of remote work for many members, it can lead to social isolation, as well as making it harder to “turn off” at the end of the workday, which can increase stress and anxiety. PSAC is negotiating for employees to shut off work-related communications outside of normal hours of work, and will not face discipline or reprisals in exercising this right.
Training on Indigenous issues: In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 57th Call to Action, the union is proposing comprehensive education on Indigenous issues for public service workers. In line with the Commission’s recommendation, this would cover the “history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations.”
Leave for traditional Indigenous practices: As part of the ongoing reconciliation process, PSAC proposed new specific leave for Indigenous members to pursue traditional cultural practices. This includes paid time off for hunting, fishing and harvesting, among other traditions.
The common issues team returns to the table November 2-4.
PSAC is committed to pushing for a fair deal that addresses the issues raised by members at the National Bargaining Conference, and rejecting any concessionary proposals from the employer.
Show your support
Meet your bargaining team, learn why they got involved in this round of negotiations and show your support with our bargaining graphics:
September 30, 2021, marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The day honours the children found and the Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. It should be considered the same as Remembrance Day. It is a solemn day and there should be events associated with it.
There were 140 federally run Indian Residential Schools which operated in Canada between 1831 and 1998. The last school closed only 23 years ago. Survivors advocated for recognition and reparations and demanded accountability for the lasting legacy of harms caused.
The idea of having a commemorative day was one of the 94 recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report.
The move came shortly after the remains of about 215 children were discovered in late May by the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
More remains have been found since then, and more searches are underway across the country. Presently more that 6,000 children have been found, although many people expect the number to be much higher.
We encourage you to learn more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada calls to action, including an organization’s responsibility to provide educational opportunities for management and staff on the history of Indigenous peoples, including the history and legacy of Residential Schools.
Lenora Maracle UNE National Equity Representative for Indigenous Peoples
The Operational Services (SV Group) continued bargaining with Treasury Board on September 21-23, 2021, discussing fair wages, improved working conditions and work-life balance.
The bargaining team proposed several improvements, including:
Fair wages, allowances and premiums by closing the gap between SV members’ wages and those in the private sector while protecting and improving access to overtime, premiums, and allowances.
Improving ships’ crews’ working conditions by addressing issues stemming from time spent at sea. The bargaining team is also pushing to have existing leave policies, such as Family Related Responsibility Leave, altered to make sense for the types of schedules worked by ships’ crews.
Expanding flexible working arrangements to ensure members have access to numerous options to do their work where and when it is possible, all while making sure this doesn’t come at the cost of existing premiums and allowances or a healthy work-life balance.
Strengthening protections against contracting out and finding ways to increase the recruitment and retention of employees in SV positions.
The SV bargaining team returns to the table October 25-28, 2021.
PSAC is committed to negotiating a fair deal that addresses the issues raised by members at the National Bargaining Conference, and rejecting any concessionary proposals from the employer.
Show your support
Meet your SV bargaining team, learn why they got involved in this round of negotiations and show your support by using our virtual background for all your work meetings and swapping out your social media profile picture:
To ensure that you receive all updates, make 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.
The Next Generation Human Resources and Pay pilot will start at Canadian Heritage where a new “cloud-based human resources software platform” called Dayforce will be used, as part of the pilot.
“With our global leadership in human capital management, complemented by our deep and longstanding commitment to Canada, we are in a unique position to support Canada’s digital-first vision for modern, mobile, and accessible HR and pay processes,” said David Ossip, Chairman and CEO, Ceridian. “We look forward to continuing our work with the Government of Canada, unions, and employees by providing our intelligent HR and payroll solutions to our hard-working federal public servants.”
UNE is happy to see that the Next Generation Human Resources and Pay pilot is entering a new phase but wants to make sure unions are consulted during the entire pilot process, especially UNE because our members at Canadian Heritage will be the first ones using that software.
