Earlier this year, we published an announcement that PSAC and SSO reached a pay equity settlement.
Details of the settlement, which will affect approximately 20,000 to 25,000 current and former employees, are now available on the employer’s website. The payments are set to commence in early 2017.
PSAC, along with other federal government unions representing thousands of federal government employees filed a Notice of Application with the Federal Court today.
The unions are seeking a court order directing the Respondent to implement a pay administration system that meets its obligations under theFAA and the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment.
The federal government is responsible for paying public service workers on time for the work they do. The unions are demanding that the federal government meet its legal duty to provide timely and accurate pay for public service employees.
The new Phoenix pay system is not working and hurting many public service workers. It is also putting excessive stress on the employees who process pay under the new system. Since its implementation, Phoenix has exhibited ongoing and significant systemic problems in the administration of pay for public service employees.
The unions argue that these ongoing circumstances raise concerns that affect all public service employees, constitute a breach of the employer’s duty to provide timely and accurate pay for public service employees.
Association of Justice Counsel, Canadian Association of Professional Employees, Canadian Federal Pilots Association, Canadian Merchant Service Guild, Canadian Military Colleges Faculty Association, Federal Government Dockyard Chargehands Association, Federal Government Dockyard Trades and Labour Council (West), Federal Government Dockyard Trades and Labour Council (East), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Profession Association of Foreign Service Officers, Public Service Alliance of Canada, Research Council Employees’ Association, Unifor
PSAC has called on its members and public service workers to send a letter to Minister Foote urgently calling for the Phoenix pay system to be fixed immediately. So far more than 2000 letters have been sent documenting serious issues.
Come and join us as we discuss issues, share our experiences and broaden our Human Rights horizons.
By: Shirley Torres
Diversity, unity, solidarity, mosaic, community, society, harmony, togetherness, equality: These are only some of the many words that are parallel to multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is a blend of different languages, religion, race, colour, custom and tradition. Multiculturalism is the world.
Canada is a world within the world. It is a melting pot of different cultures. It is home to many people of diverse ethnic backgrounds but people having the same aspirations and dreams. They live and work here to build their future, to pursue their dreams, striving, working hard and sometimes struggling to achieve their goals and by doing so, contributing to the development of their communities, the society and the country, culturally, economically and politically.
In 1971, Canada, the first in the world, adopted multiculturalism as an official policy. This was formalized when on July 21, 1988 the Canadian Multiculturalism Act was passed “to promote the full and equitable participation of individuals and communities of all origins in the continuing evolution and shaping of all aspects of Canadian society”. By Royal Proclamation, on November 13, 2002, June 27 of each year was designated as Canadian Multiculturalism Day. We celebrate this day to learn more about each other’s culture, to be proud of our own and to have a better understanding and acceptance of the diversity in our society. This is a celebration of diversity, Canada’s strength.
June 27 is a day of recognizing, appreciating and celebrating each other’s culture. It is a day to pay tribute to everyone’s continuous contribution in building a stronger, united, diverse Canada.
Happy Multiculturalism Day!
Shirley Torres is the UNE Human Rights Representative for the B.C. and Yukon region.
It is with great pleasure that we announce the addition of Emma Sauvé to the Union of National Employees team.
Emma joins us as an administrative assistant, replacing Emily Gault-Due who is away on maternity leave. Over the years, Emma has worked in logistics and administration.
We wish Emily and her family all the best with their new addition.
You can find all staff contact information here.
Welcome to the team, Emma.
What PSAC is doing
The PSAC is taking a number of high level steps to push for the earliest possible fixes to the problems at the Phoenix Pay System:
What Members should do
By following these steps, most employees will have their issues resolved more quickly than going through the departmental grievance process.
Specific hardship cases
The Pay Centre is experiencing a particularly high level of problems processing pay for more vulnerable employees, such as those on gradual return to work from Sun Life due to disability, those on maternity and parental leave, and new hires. In these cases, grievances should be actively considered for any member who suffers serious financial damages.
If you believe a member needs to file such a grievance, please contact your UNE regional team.
Greetings,
I wish to inform you that Manon Desormeaux will soon be taking her maternity leave. I know that you will join me in wishing her and her husband the best, with their new addition.
In anticipation of Manon’s departure, the Component conducted a staffing action and we are delighted to report that Marco Dufour has joined our staff as a Labour Relations Officer. Marco comes to us from the Viamonde School Board where he held a senior labour relations position. Prior to that, he was a Senior Labour Relations Advisor, for 16 years with the Union des Artistes.
Marco will be assigned to Manon’s Employer Groups and he will assume the responsibility for any outstanding cases on a way-forward basis. We hope to make the transition as seamless as possible.
The updated Labour Relations Officers’ assignments can be found at http://en.une-sen.org/who_we_are/lro/
I appreciate your understanding, patience and cooperation, during this period of transition.
Thank you.
Franco Picciano
Coordinator, Member Representation
Union of National Employees
National Aboriginal Day is on June 21. You are invited!
Contributed by Ruby Langan, Genevieve Babineau and Sandra Ahenakew
We are three Aboriginal peoples in Canada – the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. We each have our own distinct heritage, language, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. National Aboriginal Day is a day set aside to celebrate Canada’s Aboriginal peoples. The Union of National Employees has many aboriginal members in workplaces across Canada.
June 21 is the day of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. For centuries, many of the first inhabitants would celebrate the arrival of warm weather on this day. National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for June 21 to be National Aboriginal Solidarity Day. Canada’s Governor General proclaimed it the first National Aboriginal Day in 1996.
We welcome you to join local community events to honour, celebrate and learn about Canada’s original peoples. Check your local newspaper or the Aboriginal Friendship Centre for events near you. Come and join the fun. Eat, learn, play, volunteer, be entertained and get involved. This is your invitation.
National Aboriginal Day events across Canada are listed at the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada website:
http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100013322/1100100013323
Ruby Langan, Genevieve Babineau and Sandra Ahenakew are UNE Aboriginal equity representatives.
Back in March, the union published an article about the Phoenix Pay System coming online. We expected there to be glitches, but the response from members has been overwhelming – the system does not work.
We have been contacted by many UNE members who have had problems with their pay cheques. Some have not been paid in months while others have seen their problems fixed temporarily, only to have the issues resurface a few pay periods later.
Yesterday, the government announced it will set up a satellite pay centre in Gatineau to reduce the backlog of requests currently in the queue. But that’s still not enough. Public servants have the right to be paid. Canadians have long been attracted to careers in the government because of the reliability of a steady pay cheque, but that no longer exists with the flawed Phoenix pay system.
So it’s time for you to have your say. Tell Judy Foote, Minister of Public Services and Procurement to Fix Phoenix now.
Click here to have your say and send a letter to Ms. Foote, your MP and PSAC President Robyn Benson.
We will continue to forward your problems to Public Service and Procurement Canada.
Please continue to share your experiences with us. Did a problem with your pay occur? Did you resolve it yourself? Was the process an ordeal? Send us an email at info@une-sen.org so that we can work together with the employer and make certain our members are being paid.
When you visit Parliament Hill, either for a tour or to take part in committee meetings, your first point of contact is someone called a security scanner. Much like you encounter at the airport, this person plays a vital role by scanning briefcases and backpacks and waving a wand to ensure the security of all visitors. Scanners are members of the Union of National Employees and they are on the verge of playing an even more important role in increased security measures on the Hill.
Effective July 11, 2016, scanners will be replacing the existing RCMP officers, taking on the responsibilities of additional physical and electronic searches of vehicles entering Parliament Hill. They are trained to use sophisticated electronic technology including x-ray and explosive material detection in vehicles and of their occupants. The additional work for scanners will entail incorporating a 24-7-365 shift operation. As a result, there will be an increase from 44 members in 2015 to approximately 130 members by the time the vehicle scanning facility conversion is implemented in July 2016. Training and hiring of new employees is ongoing.
In 2018, Parliamentary Protective Services is planning to open its Visitor Welcoming Centre (VWC), which will become the primary controlled access point to Parliament Hill for all visitors and employees. UNE members, the scanners, will be an integral part of the VWC when it opens.
“This is yet another example of UNE members performing important, meaningful work,” said UNE president Doug Marshall. “The scanners have proven over the years that they are capable professionals and these new changes show the employer’s confidence that they are ready to take on additional roles and responsibilities.”
Are you a UNE member who wants to share a story about your workplace? We want to hear and share with the rest of the membership. Please contact Greg McNamara, Communications & Research Officer at greg.mcnamara@une-sen.org.