Tensions rose a notch at the March 2 and 3 Operational Services (SV group) bargaining session. After more than six months of bargaining and a range of demands from our team, lack of progress at the bargaining table is being met with growing impatience.
We are still waiting for a response from the Treasury Board regarding our wage package. Our wage proposals were submitted in January and a response was expected by March, but the employer is dawdling. Meanwhile, many SV members are experiencing a widening wage gap compared to their private-sector counterparts. The employer can’t keep taking the situation lightly.
Concessions on flexible work schedules
During bargaining, the employer made unfair demands regarding flexible work schedules for SV members. Variable overtime is currently time and three quarters, but the employer wishes to reverse our gains by pushing for time and a half.
This is totally unacceptable and the SV team refuses to make any concessions on this front.
Latest demands
The SV team has finalized its demands, which now include increasing access to professional development by ensuring all members can request it and receive a timely response.
Bargaining toolkit
Stay informed and engaged during this round of negotiations using our Treasury Board bargaining toolkit. Read our conversation starters to help guide your discussions with colleagues on some of our most important bargaining issues and download the bargaining graphics to show your support for the bargaining teams.
It has been 3 months since the beginning of different job actions at the Office of the Auditor General (OAG). The PSAC-UNE members of Local 70153 (Audit Services Group, ASG) are facing tumultuous contract negotiations. Earlier this week, the members of that Local went a step further and decided to go on a general strike for the first time in the history of the OAG.
The group, 75% of whom are women, plays a critical role in ensuring Canada’s federal and territorial governments are accountable to the public. These PSAC-UNE members perform a wide range of tasks within the OAG, from professional development, finance, contracting and procurement to translation and editing of the different audit reports.
Yet, it is also the lowest paid group at the OAG. The workers are asking for fair compensation, but Auditor General Karen Hogan and the Treasury Board, which oversees bargaining at the OAG, keeps rejecting their proposal.
The ongoing key bargaining issues are:
An economic increase of a patterned settlement with the core public administration
The establishment of a designed pay grid similar to what federal public servants get in other departments
The fact that the employer keeps on saying they have no mandate to bargain
A Public Interest Commission (PIC) report was received last year which was favourable to this workforce. A request was made to move their dispute settlement route to binding arbitration. That was denied by their employer, knowing the PIC’s report would be a catalyst for the ASG to achieve a fair and just collective agreement. Our request to meet with Karen Hogan and Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board Secretariat, for the benefit of our members, was also unanswered.
We are calling on Union solidarity and asking for donations to Local 70153 by contacting the UNE Finance department and let them know how much your Local would like to donate. You can contact UNE Finance & Administration Director Georges St-Jean at georges.stjean@une-sen.org.
Individual donations can be sent to: Local 70153 C/o Marie-Ève Tremblay 2071 Landry Street Clarence Creek (ON) K0A 1N0
OAG, get a mandate, and return to the table! UNE proudly represents our 170 members at the OAG and will support them in their fight to get a fair contract.
The Statistics Survey Operations (SSO) bargaining team made progress on several proposals during talks with the employer February 15-17.
There are several key bargaining issues still outstanding, including job security, hours of work, overtime pay, allowances, leave, general economic increases, and market adjustments. Our team is calling on the employer to respect the important work of SSO members by providing fair wage increases and improved terms and conditions.
As always, the team remains firmly committed to achieving wage parity for SSO workers in line with other federal employees in the core public administration.
Our team remains hopeful that we can continue to make meaningful progress during our upcoming sessions. If we hit a stalemate with the employer at the table, our team will file for arbitration. If we are forced to move to arbitration, the union and employer will each appoint a person to represent their interests on an arbitration board, along with an independent third person to act as the chairperson. Each party will make its case to the arbitration board, who will consider the submissions and make decisions about the outstanding demands and issue a report. Those decisions are final and binding and will form part of the new collective agreement.
Our next bargaining session is scheduled from March 1-3.
Following up on their meeting in December 2021, the Parks Canada team met to prioritize their outstanding issues, including constraining the employer’s right to demand medical certificates, and parity between park wardens and other enforcement officers in the federal public sector.
With seasonal and term employees making up almost half of Parks Canada’s workforce, job security and precarious work remain areas of serious concern, alongside harassment and discrimination, acting pay, Indigenous language allowances, vacation leave, parental leave, workplace accommodation and equity.
The team will meet one more time to finalize their proposals before entering a new round of bargaining March 1, 2022.
Show your support and solidarity for your bargaining team by downloading our electronic bargaining materials. Use your group’s video background during your virtual work meetings, update your profile photo with the social media frame, and print a poster for your work area.
To ensure that you receive all the latest updates about Parks Canada bargaining as we negotiate your next contract, verify that your contact information is up to date via the member portal.
As Canada continues to navigate the pandemic, the federal government should be a leader when it comes to offering better work-life balance to workers with remote work and the right to disconnect. But Treasury Board made it clear that they don’t recognize the need when the Common Issues bargaining table January 31 to February 3.
The pandemic has radically changed the way our members work. We continued to serve Canadians, whether we were working from home or in the workplace and proved that it’s time to rethink the future of work. The results of PSAC’s bargaining survey of federal public service employees showed three out of four respondents have been mostly working remotely since the pandemic started. Another 90 per cent of respondents want to continue working remotely after the pandemic.
PSAC’s proposal for remote work would give employees the opportunity to voluntarily participate in remote work – or not — based on their unique and individual circumstances. It also outlines the process for requesting a remote work agreement, makes sure workers are properly equipped for remote work, and ensures their requests are not unreasonably denied.
Treasury Board refused PSAC’s proposal, arguing it’s unnecessary given their Directive on Telework. But the government’s policy, which came into effect in April 2020, is already out of date two years into the pandemic and leaves far too much up to the discretion of individual managers which could lead to discrimination against some workers.
Remote work has become a part of everyday life for most workers and is widely supported by the majority of Canadians. It’s time for the government to look to the future by enshrining it into our collective agreements.
The right to disconnect
That’s why PSAC is also fighting for the right to disconnect. The increase in remote work has blurred the lines between work life and private life. We need to ensure employees aren’t subject to unreasonable expectations outside of work hours with clear language in our contracts.
Smartphones and other technology shouldn’t be used by employers to force employees to work longer hours, but that’s exactly what’s happening. One out of five respondents in PSAC’s survey said they felt they were expected to look at emails or work outside of their scheduled working hours at least a few times a week.
Our proposal is clear — employees should be under no obligation to answer calls or emails outside of normal working hours, or be disciplined for exercising their rights, unless they are on standby.
It’s not complicated, but the employer doesn’t want to acknowledge that our members have the right to disconnect. We will keep on fighting because workers shouldn’t feel tethered to their work by having to check their emails and work phones after hours.
Wages and new submissions
Despite having received our wage position last December, Treasury Board once again came to the table empty handed. They weren’t even prepared to discuss our general economic increase proposal. We expect the employer to provide a full response to our proposal for fair wages that reflects the rising cost of living when we meet in March.
PSAC also submitted new memorandums of understanding. These MOUs aim to ensure continued financial support for the Joint Learning Program, establish an ongoing Child Care Joint Union-Management Committee, and recognize Treasury Board’s commitment to address issues of diversity and inclusion in the workplace in collaboration with PSAC.
Next steps
The next bargaining dates for the Common Issues team, March 29–31, 2022, will be a critical moment in our negotiations.
We know firsthand the impact rising inflation is having on our families, and we should expect to mobilize and take action if the employer doesn’t come to the table with an offer that keeps up with skyrocketing prices.
With over 165,000 members in bargaining with the government this year, we have a lot of power at the table. We can leverage our strength in numbers to improve our working lives and push the government to lead by example, making life better for all workers.
Get involved
Register now for our upcoming national panel discussion on remote work and work-life balance to learn more about this important issue. At the end of the panel, you will have the chance to take part in a digital action with members across the country to support the fight for remote work and improved work-life balance.
You can also continue to show your support by using our virtual bargaining materials:
The Operational Services (SV) bargaining team put forward fair and reasonable wage proposals in talks with the employer January 18-20, and PSAC expects Treasury Board to provide their response to our wage package in March.
Many SV members are experiencing a widening wage gap compared to their private-sector counterparts that is affecting the morale of members and risks impacting the services they deliver to Canadians. And with the cost of living and inflation increasing, it is critical that wages are addressed this round of bargaining.
Proud tradesworkers and public safety workers, SV members are the backbone of our public service, and they are proud to serve Canadians. Throughout the pandemic, SV members didn’t have the option of working from home. They showed up every day to work, and without them, core services we rely on would have been impacted.
Fair wages are crucial to hire and keep highly trained public service workers. Otherwise, we risk losing the talent Canada needs to deliver the programs and services Canadians depend on.
The SV group presented key improvements, including:
Close wage gaps: More than ever, SV members need fair wages. To eliminate persisting wage gaps, PSAC has proposed a range of reasonable market adjustments based on a new labour market compensation comparability survey commissioned by PSAC in 2021. The survey’s results confirm a significant gap between compensation for SV positions and comparable jobs outside the federal public service.
Existing allowances: Some allowances are currently not available to all members who should be receiving it. PSAC proposes to expand the eligibility of allowances such as the dirty work and HVAC technician allowances to make them available to all members who perform these duties.
New allowances:PSAC proposes new allowances to help address the difficult working conditions in which SV members work, including extensive periods spent at sea, as well as during helicopter operations.
The SV bargaining team returns to the table March 1-3, 2022.
Show your support
Meet your SV bargaining team and learn why they got involved in this round of negotiations. Show support by downloading and using the virtual background for all your work meetings and swap out your social media profile picture:
Panelists will be discussing PSAC’s fight for equity in the workplace during this round of bargaining with Treasury Board, the impacts winning these demands would have, and why it is important that we all mobilize to support our bargaining teams to win big.
To ensure that you receive all the latest updates as we negotiate your next contract, verify that your contact information is up to date via the member portal.
The Statistics Survey Operations (SSO) bargaining team made progress during negotiations in December, even though the employer did not bring outstanding proposals to the table. The team was disappointed that the employer did not table their monetary proposals, which would have enabled the parties to move through this round of bargaining more quickly and arrive at a long overdue agreement.
However, positive movement on several issues was an encouraging sign and the employer has committed to bringing all outstanding monetary items to the table in mid-February.
The SSO bargaining team continues to push for significant improvements in working conditions and work hours, including:
Wage parity with the core public service
An allowance to fully cover 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
A detailed update on the state of bargaining will be shared with PSAC members at upcoming info sessions. More information to come on the dates and times of these local meetings.
The Parks Canada bargaining team met to prioritize the bargaining issues that will drive the next round of bargaining with the employer November 29 to December 1.
Alongside growing concerns about job security and precarious work, the team discussed the importance of getting Parks Canada representation on the National Joint Council and the Joint Learning Program.
Many crucial issues, like harassment and discrimination, acting pay, Indigenous language allowances, vacation leave, parental leave, workplace accommodation and equity were also addressed.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Parks Canada members redoubled their efforts to ensure that the public had safe access to the country’s national parks, canals, marine areas and national historic sites. The pandemic required unprecedented restrictions on indoor gatherings, making nature and protected places even more important for physical and mental health. Despite the crucial role that members have had throughout this pandemic, seasonal and term employees make up almost half of Parks Canada’s workforce.
The team is set to meet again in January to finalize the package of proposals they will present to the employer in early 2022.
Please be sure to keep your contact information up to date through our member login to receive all the latest updates about Parks Canada bargaining.
PSAC-UNE members of the Audit Services Group, Office of the Auditor General (OAG) (Local 70153), began a job action against their employer on November 26, at midnight :
• 3 years without an economic increase of a patterned settlement with the core public administration • 3 years without the employer willing to give them a designed pay grid, that has the look, feel and application of all other employees at the OAG, and practically every federal public servant • 3 years of contract negotiations without an employer that has a mandate to bargain
A Public Interest Commission (PIC) report was received during the current contract impasse which was favourable to this workforce, 75% of whom are women. A request was made to move their dispute settlement route to binding arbitration. That was denied by their employer, knowing the PIC’s report would be a catalyst for the Audit Services Group to achieve a fair and just collective agreement.
Our request to meet with Karen Hogan, Auditor General of Canada, and Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board Secretariat, for the benefit of our members, was also unanswered.
OAG, get a mandate and return to the table.
UNE proudly represents our 160 PSAC members at the OAG.
PSAC put forward a wage proposal for more than 110,000 federal public service workers that reflects skyrocketing inflation rates across Canada.
The common issues bargaining team proposed a 4.5 per cent wage increase in each year of a three-year agreement during negotiations with Treasury Board in early November.
Inflation rates are at the highest levels seen in more than 18 years, and members deserve a wage increase that keeps up with the rising costs of food, housing, and child care — anything less is a pay cut for federal public service workers. This year, the consumer price index rose 4.7 per cent on a year-over-year basis in October, up from a 4.4 per cent increase in September.
Many employers are recognizing there is a labour shortage and are increasing salaries accordingly to recruit and retain skilled staff. As Canada’s largest employer, Treasury Board needs to take on a leadership role by providing fair wages that recognize the rising cost of living and set the bar for other Canadian employers to help Canadians recover from the pandemic.
Group specific market adjustments, allowances, and grid re-structure proposals were not part of this package and will be submitted separately by the group-specific tables.
Employer refuses to discuss remote work
Treasury Board refused PSAC’s proposal to include remote work provisions in the collective agreement because they feel the inclusion of remote work is unnecessary and language on the right to disconnect is redundant.
Members have flagged work-life balance and the ability to work remotely as key priorities for this round of bargaining. Employees should have a say in when and where they work, and we will continue to push Treasury Board to negotiate terms for remote work and the right to disconnect into our collective agreements where they will be most effective.
New proposals on bilingualism bonus, anti-oppression training, parental leave
PSAC tabled new and revised provisions within the discrimination and sexual harassment articles to ensure our members have access to a fair process. The proposal expands the definition of what is considered harassment to better protect members. It also calls for mandatory training for all employees on the topics of “anti-oppression and discrimination,” and “harassment, sexual harassment, and violence in the workplace.”
Our proposed new training provisions push the employer to appropriately recognize and promote bilingualism in the federal public service, while the proposed increase to the bilingualism bonus aims to improve what is currently offered under the National Joint Council’s Bilingualism Bonus Directive, which has been stagnant for decades.
We also proposed improvements to maternity leave without pay and parental leave without pay to increase the top-up available to employees. We hope this will allow single parents and lowerincome families to better utilize the extended parental benefits option.
Upcoming bargaining dates
The bargaining team meets with the employer again on December 14 and 15, 2021.
