Union demands new pay system

“In 2015, Justin Trudeau sent a letter to Canada’s public servants promising a new era of respect. But four years later, PSAC members are still waiting for him to deliver on his commitment,” said Marianne Hladun, PSAC Regional Executive-Vice President for the Prairie Region in a media release.

In negotiations with the Treasury Board, which employs over 90,000 members, the union is asking for improvements to work-life balance, a reduction of precarious contract work, an end to wage gaps with the private sector, and fair economic increases. The next round of negotiations will take place April 30 through May 2.

“The Prime Minister’s window to deliver on his words is running out,” said Hladun. “Despite the hardships caused by the Phoenix pay system, PSAC members have continued to work for Canadians day in and day out. The time has come for the federal government to get serious and come to the table with a fair offer that reflects the hard work and dedication of our members.”

PSAC is also currently in negotiations with the Canada Revenue Agency, Parks Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Canada Border Services Agency. The union said it had presented bargaining proposals at every table that would significantly improve working conditions in the federal public service and the quality of the services provided to Canadians. But across the board, the union has faced a government unwilling to negotiate, it said.

Civil servants this month are marking three years since the initial roll-out of Phoenix, which resulted in more than half of all federal employees being overpaid, underpaid or not paid at all.

The government has slowly whittled away at the massive backlog of pay issues that resulted from Phoenix, but it was still dealing with at least 275,000 unresolved transactions as of Jan. 23.

PIPSC national president Debi Daviau says there has been progress toward finding a new system to replace Phoenix.

“I don’t know how it will be possible to replace the system if there isn’t adequate funding in the upcoming budget.”

Daviau said the government appears to be on a “fast track” toward finding a new pay system, having trimmed the list of prospective vendors down to three.

Progress has also been made in talks aimed at compensating government employees for hardships endured as a result of the pay problems, she said, although the real focus has been on getting a new system that can handle the pay files of more than 300,000 workers.

Unions are also no longer looking for a “fix” of the Phoenix system. Instead, they are hoping that the data from Phoenix can be stabilized so it can be transferred relatively easily to a new system that recognizes the complexity of the federal pay structure.

The Phoenix system was launched three years ago across a limited number of government departments with the goal of streamlining what had become a cumbersome, out-of-date structure. It was also supposed to save taxpayers $70 million annually by eliminating the jobs of thousands of pay advisers.

– WIth files from the Canadian Press

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow

by paNOW Staff

Union demands new pay system

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