May 1, 2007

Update on AS Compensation Issues

The following is a brief update on several initiatives being undertaken in conjunction with members of the AS Community:

1. Follow-up to January 23^rd meeting with PSHRMAC

In late January, we posted on our web site a short report of our January 23^rd meeting with PSHRMAC. We continue to work with officials from PSHRMAC to set up a follow-up meeting, to which we will invite several members from the AS Roundtable. The date of the meeting has not yet been confirmed though it is likely that it will take place in mid June.

There has however been an issue of mandate. We have been advised in writing by PSHRMAC that the members from the Interdepartmental HR Capcity Building Working Group will meet the PSAC on the issue of “Capacity Building in the Compensation Community,” but that the issue of classification is outside the scope of the Working Group. We have formally requested that the follow-up meeting include representatives responsible for classification.

2. Heads of Compensation Meeting, early May

One of the problems we have had with confirming dates for the follow-up meeting is that the staff from the Capacity Building Working Group are involved in organizing a meeting of the Heads of Compensation from across the federal public service, in early May. We also understand that a number of Compensation Advisors were invited to that meeting however, unfortunately, none of the AS Roundtable participants seem to have been invited. This would have been a very good opportunity for members of the AS Roundtable to speak directly to Senior Management.

3. Letters to Vic Toews

Many members of the AS Compensation Community have been diligently writing to Treasury Board President, Vic Toews, asking him to ensure that the issues of classification, recruitment, retention, training and certification be addressed. On March 30th, we posted a web update on this item, along with a draft generic letter to Mr. Toews. We have since been copied on many letters from members of the AS Compensation Community. We encourage members to keep those letters coming to Vic Toews!

4. PSAC Appearance before the Standing Committee on Government Operations Deals with AS Issues

On March 29th, the PSAC was invited to appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, regarding their study of the demographic challenges facing the federal public service. While dealing broadly with the issues of demographic change and employment equity in the FPS, the one hour appearance also allowed us a chance to place the Compensation Community issues before the Committee. The issue was raised by Diane Marleau, the Chair of the Committee, and is it clear that she and many of the Committee members had heard from AS members and other federal PS employees regarding compensation issues.

If you would like to read the questions and our responses, you can find transcripts of the meeting (Meeting Number 44, March 29, 2007) on the Parliamentary Internet site. The portion of the meeting dealing with the AS issues can be found starting at 16:15 (pages 8-12 of the PDF version).

5. Pension Centralization

Recently, PSAC President John Gordon was invited to a briefing from Treasury Board with respect to their plan to centralize pension administration in the federal public service. Their plan, to be rolled out over the next four years, is to locate all pension administration services within the PWGSC offices in Shediac N.B. They estimate that 33 per cent of all Compensation Community work is pension related, and that 24 per cent of the work will be centralized over the next 4 years. Given anticipated turnovers within the Compensation Community, they expect no actual job losses as this work is transferred.

In the next several weeks, we understand that all departmental Heads of Human Resources will be briefing departmental Union Representatives (i.e. PSAC Components) on the implications of this plan. The PSAC, as a member of the Public Service Pension Advisory Committee, does support the need to improve the provision of pension related services and advice to federal PS employees. That being said, we also recognize that this plan will significantly impact on the way in which pension services are delivered within the federal public service, and will clearly have an impact on the scope of work done by the Community. We will be pushing for a full process of consultation, one that involves members of the Compensation Community. The PSAC will provide further information as it becomes available.