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TB bargaining: PSAC heads into mediation

January 14, 2020

PSAC’s bargaining team representing 90,000 federal public service workers in the Program & Administrative Services (PA) unit has agreed to mediation on January 16 and 17.

The session is being convened by the Public Interest Commission (PIC) and will cover both common issues as well as those specific to the PA unit (information for the other Treasury Board units will be forthcoming).

PSAC and the government presented their respective bargaining positions at a PIC hearing on December 4-7.

PSAC will provide an update on the mediation session once it is complete.

What is a Public Interest Commission (PIC)?

Under the law that governs contract negotiations in the federal public service, once impasse is reached at the bargaining table, a PIC is established to help the parties reach an agreement.

The PIC is a panel of three people – a chairperson appointed by the Labour Board and nominees appointed by the union and management. The union and the employer submit briefs and explain their positions on the outstanding issues at a hearing with the PIC. The PIC chairperson also has the option of convening additional talks. The PIC then issues a report with recommendations for settlement. The recommendations are not binding.

Once the PIC releases its report, the union’s bargaining team will meet to discuss the recommendations. Traditionally, following this, PSAC and government representatives have returned to the table to resume negotiations. We expect the PIC reports to be issued in 2020.

Source: PSAC

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UNE 2019 Women’s Conference

The UNE 2019 Women’s Conference is underway!

Click here for the full Conference Program.

Follow the action on social media:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Union.NE.Syndicat.EN

 

 

In solidarity,

Your co-chairs for the Steering Committee for the Women’s Conference:

Hayley Millington, National Equity Representative for Women
Kate Hart, Assistant National Vice-President for Human Rights
Isabelle Beaudoin, Assistant Regional Vice-President, Outside Canada

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Treasury Board bargaining: PSAC strike timeline

The Labour Board has set dates for Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings for four Treasury Board bargaining tables:

Once a hearing has taken place, a PIC report is generally issued within 30 days. After the reports are issued, each bargaining unit will be in a position to strike if members vote to walk off the job. 

The PIC process began when bargaining reached an impasse in May.

In negotiations, the government insisted on a wage cut once inflation is factored in as well as a waiting period of up to 18 months after contract signing for retro pay. At the same time, the government rejected our proposals to improve working conditions by:

  • implementing market adjustments where pay discrepancies exist;
  • providing a full top-up for the new 18-month parental leave option;
  • reducing contracting-out and precarious work in the public service; and
  • better addressing mental health in the workplace.

What is a Public Interest Commission (PIC)?

By law, once impasse is reached, a PIC is established to help the parties reach an agreement. The PIC is a panel of three people – a chairperson appointed by the Labour Board and nominees appointed by the union and management. The union and the employer submit briefs and explain their positions on the outstanding issues at a hearing with the PIC. The PIC then issues a report with recommendations for settlement. The recommendations are not binding.

Once the PIC releases its report, PSAC bargaining teams will reconvene to discuss the recommendations. Typically, PSAC’s teams and government representatives then return to the table to resume negotiations.

Will we strike?

Regardless of which party forms government after the fall federal election, PSAC will continue pressing for a fair deal that addresses members’ demands. However, if PSAC and the government are still unable to reach an agreement after the PIC reports are issued, members will have the opportunity to take a strike vote.  

History has taught us that the best way to avoid strikes is to prepare for one. Therefore, PSAC will ensure that strike training is offered to members in the coming months.

PSAC will also provide updates on the PIC process and other bargaining developments as appropriate.

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UNE Multiculturalism Day

Each year, our members celebrate our union’s diversity on August 14. We encourage you to take this opportunity to find out more about the rich cultural mosaic that surrounds us in our workplaces and in our communities!

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Employment Opportunities at UNE

The Union of National Employees currently has a staffing action for:

Three National Labour Relations Officer positions:

Two full time positions and two term positions (2 years each).

National Labour Relations Officer Job Poster

National Labour Relations Officer Position Description

Two National Administrative Services Assistant positions:

Both positions are term positions for a period of one year.

National Administrative Services Assistant Job Poster

National Administrative Services Assistant Position Description

The deadline date for submission of applications is August 22, 2019.  Please apply by e-mail to Bonnie Sullivan at bonnie.sullivan@sullivansearch.com

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Parks bargaining team heads back to the table July 16

PSAC’s Parks bargaining team will resume negotiations with the Parks Canada Agency from July 16 – 18 in the national capital region. Our team is eager to make further progress towards a fair collective agreement for over 4,000 employees working at Parks Canada locations nationwide.

Last time at the table:

Last month, PSAC’s bargaining team continued to push for demands that would establish parity with the core public administration and discussed important issues such as mental health in the workplace and improvements to maternity / parental leave. They also:

  • tabled language that would improve Park Wardens’ terms and conditions of employment,
  • proposed the creation of a joint committee on child care, and
  • made a presentation to the employer on the benefits of joining the National Joint Council (NJC).

Be informed and get involved:

  • Sign up for bargaining updates.
  • Make sure your membership information is up to date.
  • Check out the Parks Canada bargaining team page on our national website.
  • Show support for your bargaining team on Facebook and Twitter.
  • Talk to your colleagues about your work contract, benefits, and protections.
  • Participate in any upcoming information sessions in your region.

Stay informed and spread the word!

 

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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)

Stay Connected
Follow us on Twitter: @UNE_SEN

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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:

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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For a Healthy Workplace – Terrasses de la Chaudière

PSAC in the NCR, in partnership with UNE, GSU, UCTE, UJSE and AGR, are campaigning to address several urgent health and safety issues in Terrasses de la Chaudière. As part of the first phase of our campaign, we’ve notified all department management in the complex and have yet to hear a substantial response.

Sign up today and get involved!

We are organizing to address overcrowding, air quality, physical symptoms reported by workers (headaches, dizziness, increased fatigue and more) and new reports of legionella as recently as April 8, 2019 (French only article).

What we want:

  • A preliminary meeting with department deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers in each department
  • A report from each department on how these issues and other related issues are being addressed, and will be resolved
  • A formal joint interdepartmental committee across the complex (representatives from each building) that would include relevant labour representatives to ensure that information sharing, actions and follow-ups are being addressed in a timely fashion.

Sign up today and get involved!

 

Let’s fight for adequate working spaces, clean air and healthy buildings at Terrasses de la Chaudière!

 

 

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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