News release

November 18, 2003

PSAC members at Customs and Revenue Agency get ready for strike vote

OTTAWA – The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is asking its 30,000 members who work at the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) to vote in favour of a strike as contract talks stall.

PSAC National President Nycole Turmel describes the negotiation process to date as futile.   “The Agency has come to the bargaining table without a mandate to negotiate.   Bargaining started in August.   It's now November and the employer still won't deal with any monetary issues.”

“In spite of having had three separate bargaining sessions with the employer, almost nothing has been agreed upon,” indicates Turmel.   “CCRA has either said no to or has no position yet on all our major demands.”

This is an important round of bargaining according to PSAC's Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) National President Betty Bannon.   “CCRA is planning to implement a new classification standard, one which could lead the way for revised standards in the federal public service.   The negotiation of new salary rates under that standard, as well as the negotiation of   economic increases, are critical issues in these negotiations.”

Ron Moran, National President of PSAC's Customs Excise Union Douanes Accise (CEUDA) reiterates the importance of the new classification standard.   “While classification affects all our members, it is of particular concern to Customs Officers who are still looking for recognition by their employer of the added responsibilities and risks they have had to assume as a result of legislation passed in 1998 giving them enhanced powers.   Increased staffing levels at ports of entry, as well as a range of new health and safety measures are among the concerns being raised by CEUDA at the bargaining table.”

Other major issues in dispute involve a better deal for the thousands of term workers at the Agency.   Almost one-quarter of the workforce at CCRA are term workers with numbers reaching as high as 12,000 during tax processing season.   PSAC is asking the Agency to automatically convert term employees to indeterminate status after three years.   The union is also asking the employer to automatically convert recurring term employees to indeterminate seasonal status, as is the case with other employers such as Parks Canada.

“While negotiations are scheduled to resume in mid-January, there is no guarantee that the Agency will have a mandate then to reach an agreement with the union,” says Turmel.   “We believe a strong strike vote will wake the employer up to the fact that our members are serious about their demands.”

Strike vote meetings are being organized across the country and voting will continue until December 18.   The collective agreement expired on October 31, 2003 .  

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For information:  Betty Bannon, UTE national president
                           (613) 235-6704

                           Ron Moran, CEUDA national president,
                           (613) 723-8008, ext. 301                                          

                           Louise Laporte, PSAC Communications
                           (613) 560-4287

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