May 9, 2006

Policy

Student Employment

Preamble

A significant number of employers, including many, that count unionized PSAC members amongst their employees, routinely hire students.

The PSAC believes that employers, including the PSAC itself, have an obligation to future generations of workers, and that this obligation can be partially met by hiring students.

The PSAC is equally clear that students should be hired into carefully crafted and monitored programs that are designed to assist them in advancing their academic skills and acquiring social and workplace knowledge and skills – including an understanding of the role of Unions in workplaces and society and not into determinate and indeterminate positions. Under no circumstances should students be hired as a form of cheap labour for employers, or in any way to undermine the employment security of the employers' regular workforce.

The Role of the Federal Government as an Employer

As one of the largest employers in Canadian society, the federal government has an obligation to establish student hiring practices that benefit students without undermining their safety, service to the public, and the employment security of federal public sector workers.

Every year, approximately 90,000 students apply for work under the Federal Student Work Experience Program, and approximately 7,000 are hired. Although significant in its own right, the Student Work Experience Program does not represent the totality of student hiring, since other students are hired into term positions, as well as the Post-Secondary Coop/Internship, Research Affiliate and International Exchange Programs. Under government policy, students who have participated in these programs can be hired into indeterminate positions without competition.

As stated in its Student Employment Policy, the government's policy objectives are to “provide employment opportunities for Canadian students that will:

• enrich their academic programs;
• help fund their education and encourage them to complete their studies;
• develop their employability skills and improve their ability to find good jobs after graduation;
• offer insights into future employment opportunities; and
• help them evaluate their career options within the federal public sector.”

Although the policy states that “students are not to be regarded as lower-cost alternatives to regular employees” the government recognizes them “as trainees” and they “do not receive the same benefits as full – fledged employees”.

Other employers with whom the PSAC has collective agreements have similar policies with regard to student employment.

Student Employment – The Problem

From the PSAC's perspective, it is not student employment or the students themselves who are the problem, but public and private employers who may exploit students as a cheap workforce.

Despite rhetorical announcements that student employment programs are designed to assist students, the reality in many workplaces where students work side by side with PSAC members is different. Students are used as a lower cost alternative to the regular workforce; given the complete range of job functions without being paid according to the collective agreement; forced to work in environments without adequate training, putting themselves, PSAC members and the public at risk; and, are paid according to the region where they work. Students are also used, all too frequent, to undermine the job security of full-time determinate and indeterminate workers.

The PSAC will take the following action to ensure that Student Employment Programs provide students with opportunities and income without being exploited and without undermining the employment security of PSAC members.

1. Beginning immediately, an AEC Officer will be given a portfolio assignment on all aspects of student employment. In this capacity, the AEC Officer will consult with Components and develop a Local handbook that identifies proper student employment practices, and provides Locals with a centralized location within the PSAC to report abuses of student employment programs. Training on employer abuses of student hiring practices, and how to monitor them, will be provided to members and activists.

2. Identify abuses of proper student employment programs where our members work, and bring those abuses to the attention of our members, the employers, the government and the general public.

3. Track the use of students in bargaining unit positions to ensure that students are not used to reduce the bargaining unit or bargaining unit positions, and ensure that students are additional to regular staff.

4. Bargain student hiring, terms and conditions of employment, including appropriate wage rates, where we are legally able to do so.

5. Develop an internal PSAC Student Employment Program and consult on conditions with the Unions representing PSAC staff.

6. Lobby Treasury Board and major public sector employers to ensure that student employment benefits students without undermining the employment security of PSAC members.

7. Develop an introductory PSAC training module specifically targeted to students employed where PSAC members work.

8. Work with the Canadian Federation of Students to develop a “best practices” student employment program.

9. Take whatever action is appropriate to ensure that students are properly trained before being assigned tasks that have the potential to undermine their safety as well as the safety of PSAC members and the general public.

10. Identify situations where the nature of student employment would make organizing them possible, and take action to organize them.