News release

October 16, 2004

PSAC reaches a tentative agreement at Canadian Food Inspection Agency

OTTAWA –The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is pleased to announce that it reached a tentative agreement late in the evening on October 15 with The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on behalf of some 3,600 members. The agreement reached at the Conciliation Board stage of negotiations averts a strike by PSAC CFIA members.

“While negotiations have been long and difficult,” said PSAC Executive Vice-president (Prairies) Robyn Benson, “we have an agreement that includes many of the contract improvements that our members were seeking.”

The tentative agreement contains the following wage increases: 2.5% retroactive to January 1, 2003, 2.25% for 2004, 2.4% for 2005 and 2.5% for 2006,

In addition to the general economic increase, PSAC CFIA members will receive the following economic and benefit increases:

•  For the GL/GS members in the operational category, additional increases were negotiated to address the identified wage gap from the joint PSAC/TB Wage Study, as well as a reduction to three pay zones from four.

•  For Members in the AS/IS/PM groups - parity with their TB colleagues retroactive to January 1, 2003.

•  For the FI group, FI 3's & 4's will receive an additional increment to bring those members closer to the TB rates as well as a new clause which provides for the partial payment of their professional  fees.

•  Two new days of leave were added in the settlement and a captive time clause was also negotiated.   Part Time employees now become entitled to an increment after 12 months.

  Yves Ducharme, President of the Agriculture Union of the PSAC, stated that the “economic increases and benefit improvements included in the tentative agreement were necessary because wages at the CFIA had fallen behind those received by other workers in the federal public sector.”

“Our members expected considerable   progress on those matters,” Ducharme said. ”We were able to bring those improvements to the collective agreement and to provide the membership with a tentative agreement that meets many of their expectations.    

If ratified, the agreement would expire on December 31, 2006.

The tentative agreement will now be presented to the members for a ratification vote. Details of the vote will be coming during the next few weeks.

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For information: Alain Cossette, PSAC Communications, (613) 293-9210

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