July 9, 2007

PSAC and Compensation Advisors Push for Employer Action on Compensation Issues

On June 14, 2007, representatives of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and members of the Compensation Community met with representatives of the Interdepartmental Human Resources Capacity Building Working Group (IHRCBWG).

PSAC representatives at the meeting included PSAC National Executive Vice-President, Patty Ducharme; Compensation Advisors Michael Brandimore, Jill Ronan, Irène Chenier, Linda Sherstabetoff and Anne Lee; and, PSAC staff David Orfald, Mandy Rocks, and Margaret Jaekl.

Sister Ducharme opened the meeting and thanked the group for the opportunity to meet and work toward solutions with respect to the acute shortage of qualified Compensation Advisors.  On behalf of the Compensation Advisors at the meeting as well as the union, she expressed the extreme disappointment that the employer had refused to send representatives responsible for classification to the meeting despite the union’s repeated requests to do so. The employer is well aware that the issue of classification has been an ongoing priority for Compensation Advisors and Sister Ducharme noted that the classification issue was raised time and time again in the focus groups organized by the employer on Compensation Capacity Building in the late spring of 2006 yet the employer seems to have made a decision not to address it.

Sister Ducharme outlined the recommendations in the PSAC AS Roundtable which include the following main areas:

• improved classification and pay;
• developing a certification process and professional recognition;
• career advancement, recruitment and retention; and
• ensuring a realistic and manageable workload including reconsideration of the service delivery model, which is problematic for both employees and compensation advisors.

The IHRCBWG representatives came to talk about the work they were doing with regards to recruitment and training. PSAC representatives offered constructive comments and fully supported the idea that Compensation Advisors be directly consulted in those efforts. It was however strongly emphasized that without classification changes, it will not be possible to retain newly hired employees or the experienced staff necessary to successfully mentor them.

Compensation Advisors will continue to work with IHRCHBWG in efforts to address all ten of the major reported capacity challenges but there are other actions that should be undertaken.

• Given the strong interest expressed by the Parliamentary Committee on Government Estimates and Operations, work should continue with various members of the Committee, including the Chairperson of the Committee, Diane Marleau. Read the evidence presented to the Committee by PSAC President John Gordon and the Association of the Compensation Community Representatives on June 7, 2007.

• Compensation Advisors and members of the PSAC who are not getting paid accurately or on time should take time this summer to contact their Member of Parliament.  The House of Commons adjourned June 20th for the summer and MPs are now in their ridings for the next several months on the B-B-Q circuit. Take advantage of this - make sure your MP knows you and knows your issue.

• The PSAC will write again to Rick Burton, Vice-President, Canadian Public Service Agency (formerly PSHRMAC) and reiterate the urgent need to address the classification of positions in the compensation community in order to retain employees.

The PSAC is committed to continuing to work with the compensation community to provide training and assistance to enable the community to target their effort in the most effective ways possible.