UNE congratulates both Jane Philpott and Seamus O’Regan on their respective appointments in today’s federal cabinet shuffle.
Minister Philpott, who has been vice-chair of the Treasury Board cabinet committee, will have to restore collective bargaining negotiations and show commitment with respect to the next generation of the pay system for federal employees after the Phoenix fiasco.
Minister O’Regan is appointed to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), which is a new federal department. We hope the minister will be able to address the serious occupational health and safety issues that our members are facing on a daily basis in their workplace.
UNE looks forward to working with both Minister Philpott and Minister O’Regan.
At the Union of National Employees, and at the Public Service Alliance of Canada, much of what we do would not be possible without the tireless work of our many volunteers. That is why I am proud to take this opportunity to extend a sincere thanks to those members who have made a significant contribution through union activism.
PSAC LIFE MEMBERSHIP
The Public Service Alliance of Canada Life Membership award is the highest recognition that can be given to a member for outstanding service to the members of the PSAC.
Nominations may be made by the National Executive of this component or by the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s National Board of Directors. Please complete the application form and enclose a complete service history of the individual. Please pay careful attention when completing the work history, union activities and include dates on the application form. The eligibility criteria and application form can be found on the PSAC website. The deadline for the submission of applications to be considered in any one calendar year is November 30th.
PSAC AWARD OF MERIT FOR MEMBERS
The Public Service Alliance of Canada’s Award of Merit for members was established as an acceptable method to recognize members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada who have rendered service of the greatest distinction and of singular excellence in any field of endeavour, benefiting the PSAC or its members.
Applications for the Award of Merit may be sponsored by a Local, a Component or a member of the National Board of Directors. Please complete the application carefully. The eligibility criteria and application form can be found on the PSAC website. The deadline for the submission of applications to be considered in any one calendar year is November 30th.
PSAC PINS AND CERTIFICATES FOR YEARS OF SERVICE
The Public Service Alliance of Canada has a tradition of honouring long-term officers of the PSAC with service pins and certificates. These pins and certificates can be awarded to those with 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service.
If your Local wishes to nominate a member, please complete the application form and enclose a complete service history of the individual. Please pay careful attention when completing the period of service section of the form. The eligibility criteria and application forms can be found on the PSAC website.
Nominations must be submitted no later than January 25, 2019.
UNE Local 70130 has invited PSAC National President Chris Aylward and UNE National President Kevin King to visit the Passport processing centre in Gatineau on December 20, 2018.
They will be provided a tour of the workplace of approximately 500 UNE Passport Program members.
‘’Our Local is excited to welcome our leaders to see the important and distinct workthat our Passport members do ’’ says Local 70130 President Rose Touhey, who is also Assistant Regional Vice-President for Outside Canada.
UNE is proud of the incredible work performed by its dedicated Passport Program members!
The UNE 2019 Local Presidents’ Conference is just a few short months away! Local Presidents are invited to join us in Gatineau, QC, from March 21 – 24 for an exciting chance to gather with other Union activists and discuss current issues facing our Union.
We ask that UNE Local Presidents register online by Friday, February 8, 2019.
Your Local’s participation is very important. If you are unable to attend, we encourage you to designate another member of your Local Executive to attend the Conference.
If you are unable to register, please contact Suzanne Boucher at 613-560-4359 or at suzanne.boucher@une-sen.org.
There will be more information circulated in the New Year, but don’t hesitate to check the UNE website over the next few months for the latest updates.
In the continued wake of the Phoenix pay system disaster, bargaining teams representing nearly 90,000 federal public service workers are back at the bargaining table with Treasury Board this week and next.
PSAC’s bargaining teams have been repeatedly disappointed by the continued lack of response and meaningful engagement by Treasury Board. In July, PSAC came to the table with clear proposals and a strong mandate to move forward. Unfortunately, the Government has yet to engage substantially with PSAC’s various proposals, and have not offered counter proposals.
“It’s outrageous that our members have been waiting three years to get paid correctly under Phoenix—they shouldn’t have to also wait to get the fair working conditions they deserve,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC National President. “They’re very frustrated at the lack of movement in almost six months since we first sat down to bargain with the Liberal government.”
Despite stating the contrary during the electoral campaign, Doug Ford’s Conservative government has brushed aside the few, hard-won governmental services for which Franco-Ontarians struggled. The situation is shameful.
He seems annoyed and not the least ashamed of the outcry caused by the cutbacks. The best stance he has found is to blatantly state that he was misunderstood. All the while, he is disregarding the two fundamental objectives of the Official Languages Act, which are:
1. ‘’enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and supporting and assisting their development; and
2. fostering full recognition and use of English and French in Canadian society.’’
The UNE, through its Francophone Committee, denounces this act which constitutes an attack on Francophones.
The Phoenix pay system will apply membership dues adjustments this fall. Letters to members with details about their specific dues’ situation are being sent out this month. On November 14, 2018 PSAC members will see the correct membership dues amount on their paycheques, and then they will find themselves in one of two categories:
You have overpaid membership dues and are owed a refund. PSAC will refund the total amount owed to you. You will receive the refund over 1 to 2 paycheques. Beginning in January 2019, your membership dues should be updated to the corrected rate.
You have been underpaying membership dues and are in arrears. PSAC will only recover up to 1 years’ worth of union dues and will not collect this in one large lump sum. The rate of recovery is always equal to the monthly amount of union dues a member would normally pay. These recovery payments will take place over several pay periods. For most of our members who owe less than $300, this shouldn’t take more than 2 to 3 months.
If you have concerns regarding arrears owed, please fill in this form to request additional information.
On October 31, 2018, UNE National President Kevin King attended a labour management meeting with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) along with other unions whose members work at Les Terrasses de la Chaudière in Gatineau, QC.
They discussed some pressing health and safety issues:
1. Floor related infractions (fire codes, water fountains); as outlined by ESDC’s Labour Program
2. Compliance with the Canada Labour Code – qualification of the person to report air quality;
3. Employer failed to provide information on a timely basis to the local Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) Committee.
On the 19th floor, there are currently 178 workspaces where the capacity for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) is only 105. The employer is moving some employees to the 6th floor where there is a new HVAC system. Priority will be given to pregnant women and those with respiratory issues,
On the 6th floor of 15/25 Eddy, there are issues with windows, air quality and mold resulting in the need to move approximately 230 employees. There is also work needed to identify the root causes of headaches, nausea and other symptoms that a lot of employees on the same floor are experiencing. Investigations are underway to determine the cause.
The department is working with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions (BGIS) on a massive action plan and OHS inspection.
At the meeting, Kevin King voiced his extreme displeasure with the lack of plain language communication between the employer and its employees. He is very concerned about the available swing space compliance and proposed improved consultation with unions and employees to find solutions together.
“We are pushing for more consultation with building OHS committees involving several departments. The issue of sick buildings isn’t limited to these departments,” said King. “These workplaces should be safe enough not only to employ our members, but also house government daycare programs for children. We hope to schedule town hall meetings for all occupants of the building as well as their bargaining agents.”
The UNE 2018 Occupational Health and Safety Conference was a huge success!
Delegates from coast to coast to coast gathered in the National Capital Region (NCR) from October 25-28 to learn about and discuss current health and safety issues. They had the opportunity to listen to insightful presentations by health and safety experts and had the chance to exchange and share their experiences by attending workshops and asking questions during the plenary sessions.
Mental health was at the heart of the Conference. Whether it was about awareness, psychosocial hazards, barriers, workplace programs, members of our Union family learned tools and strategies to tackle this issue, individually and as a Union team. Emotional exhaustion and burnout may still be taboo in some workplaces, but workers are becoming more vocal about it. Mental health is as important as physical health and employers, working in partnership with union representatives, ought to have mental health policies and support programs in place. The new legislation amending the Canada Labour Code (CLC) to address harassment and violence for federally regulated workers, also known as Bill C-65, was extensively discussed during the plenary sessions as well.
Mental Health and Wellness, Stress Management and New Member Integration Strategies, Knowing Your Rights and Responsibilities: The Canada Labour Code were some the topics of the workshops that took place on the second day of the Conference. Delegates also had the chance to attend a couple of mindful meditations sessions offered by UNE Regional Vice-President for Manitoba, Christopher Little-Gagné.
UNE National President Kevin King, who received the service award for long-term officers of the PSAC for 25 years of PSAC activism addressed the delegates and PSAC National President Chris Aylward delivered an inspiring speech reminding the audience of the importance of addressing mental health in the workplace.
SSO Interviewers deserve better from Statistics Canada!
Following concerns expressed by the public over a pilot project run by Statistics Canada on banking information data collection, Chief Statistician of Canada Anil Arora made a statement yesterday responding to demands that the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to “take a deeper dive” into data mining of financial information.
The UNE/PSAC represents Statistical Survey Interviewers (SSO) who are responsible largely for telephone and field interviews that collect the raw data that is subsequently used to provide statistics on everything from literacy to consumer expenditures.
No amount of electronic mining of personal algorithms with respect to data collection can replace compassionate and professional skill sets that our members possess.
SSO Interviewers have been battling for months at the bargaining table with the employer to get a collective agreement that addresses long standing concerns of our hard-working members, including the acknowledgement of both modernization of the interviewer workforce and the effects of technological change.
Chief Statistician of Canada Anil Arora is claiming that his agency is “going above and beyond” when it comes to addressing privacy concerns by Canadians.
Mr. Arora should also consider “going above and beyond” in recognition of its dedicated workforce, amongst the regional office and field interviewers.
Interviewers provide a critical service for Canadians and that service needs to be both modernized and respected, both at work and at the bargaining table.
