Union Update

November 17-December 19, 2003

Acrobat format 

In this issue:

• PSAC Pride Conference: All accounts, a big success!
• PSAC tables whistleblowing demand
• Convention-adopted dues increase to take effect
• Bargaining Update
  • Treasury Board
  • CFIA
  • CCRA
  • SSO
  • National Gallery of Canada
  • Parks Canada
  • Solidarity week a success
• Health and Safety activists set sights on globalization

PSAC Pride Conference: All accounts, a big success!

After three days of debate and discussion in plenary and in workshops, participants to the first PSAC National Pride Conference did not go home empty-handed. Besides the knowledge they acquired and the networking they were able to develop during the Conference, they were able to take home regional plans of action that will help them better focus their activities to protect human rights for all Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender members.

"As GLBT leaders within our Union, every one of you in this room has a role to play in identifying the victories you want to be able to celebrate, and in making sure that all of us take on the struggles together to make these dreams a reality," said the PSAC National President Nycole Turmel in her speech at the conference.

Participants from all regions came up with four key objectives: education, lobbying, networking and improved communications strategies. They identified elements of strategies they could use within the plans of action: linking regional networks, better participation in other organizations, increased visibility of GLBT issues at Regional Councils, and many more. They also discussed practical ways of reaching the objectives and methods to evaluate the results of their actions.

The conference took place in Montreal on November 27 to 30, 2003.

ELECTION RESULTS

The delegates to the PSAC Pride Conference elected two representatives and six alternates to the PSAC Equal Opportunity Committee (EOC).

The GLBT Man Representative to the EOC is Gerard Ennis, from UTE Atlantic and the alternates are François Gadoury, CEIU - Quebec, Terry Fanning Environment - Ontario and Timothy Hunt CEUDA - Prairies.

The GLBT Woman Representative is Kay Sinclair from UTE in B.C. and the alternates are Karoline Klug, National Component - NCR, Claudine Phillipe National Component - B.C. and Barbara Abramchuk, Agriculture - Prairies.

PSAC tables whistleblowing demand

The PSAC tabled its contract proposal on whistleblowing on November 26, during bargaining talks with Treasury Board representatives.

In spite of calls from the Public Service Integrity Officer, the Auditor General of Canada, the Public Service Commission (PSC) and even the general public for the government to provide protection to employees who "blow the whistle" on their employer, the PSAC believes that the government has failed to act decisively on this issue.

"In our view, the federal government missed a golden opportunity to make a real difference in the workplace when it adopted Bill C-25, the Public Service Modernization Act without a single amendment on whistleblower protection", says Nycole Turmel, PSAC National President.

The only recourse currently available to federal public service workers is the Policy on the Internal Disclosure of Information Concerning Wrongdoing in the Workplace. The PSC audit team investigating events in the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) reported that the policy is "not, however, an effective mechanism to address wrongdoing in staffing."

"In the absence of an effective mechanism that would allow public service workers to expose government corruption or wrongdoing without the fear of reprisal, the PSAC has no choice but to make such protection part of the collective agreement," notes Turmel. To this end, the PSAC tabled the following contract language to representatives of the Treasury Board negotiating team:

"No employee shall be disciplined or otherwise penalized, including but not limited to, demotion, suspension, dismissal, financial penalty, loss of seniority, advancement or opportunity in the public service, as a result of disclosing any wrongful act or omission, such as an offence against an Act of Parliament, an Act of a legislature of any province or any instrument issued under any such Act; an act or omission likely to cause a significant waste of public money; an act or omission likely to endanger public health or safety or the environment."

In 1993, the Liberals agreed that "public servants must be able to report about illegal or unethical behaviour they encounter on the job without fear of reprisal. A Liberal government would introduce whistleblowing legislation in the next Parliament." In 2003, these words ring hollow.

"Actions speak louder than words. The employer has one more chance to get it right. However, by doing nothing, they virtually guarantee that there will be other incidents like the Radwanski affair," concludes Turmel.

Convention-adopted dues increase to take effect

The PSAC, at its 2003 National Triennial Convention, adopted a dues increase that will take effect on January 1, 2004. The PSAC's portion of dues will be increased from 0.8837% to 0.8889% of the base salary of each member. The delegates to the Environment Component 2002 Convention adopted a dues increase of $0.33 per month, also effective on January 1, 2004. .

Bargaining Update

Treasury Board

Another meeting took place on November 22, 2003, for all Treasury Board negotiating teams to share information on negotiations with the employer. Prior to that meeting, Tables 1 and 5 had finished a third week of bargaining, and Tables 2 and 3 ended their third sessions the week following the meeting.

Table 1 discussed a number of issues with the employer, including classification, no discrimination and harassment, leave with and without pay and allowances. The employer refused all of the team's proposals. Table 1 also submitted their wage package, which, in a three-and-a-half year contract to end December 31, 2006, includes proposed economic increases of 5% for each of the first three years and 3% for the remainder of the contract.

Table 5, in a union-management working group, spent two days discussing the implications of the new requirements imposed on ED-EST members by the Ontario College of Teachers Act. As a result of this working session, two meetings have been planned in early December. The team also submitted a wage package, which includes the same proposals for economic increases as Table 1.

Table 2 presented the union's positions on various issues, including whistleblowing, health and safety, and union leave. On the latter part of the session, the team presented their pay proposal which has two major parts. The first part was designed to close a 20% average pay gap between Table 2 members and their private sector counterparts, and the second part proposes economic increases along the same line as Tables 1 and 5. The Employer refused to respond to any of the team's demands, so the team will be asking the Staff Relations Board to appoint a conciliation officer.

The Table 3 team will also be requesting the assistance of a conciliation officer following an unproductive bargaining session. The Employer did not respond to any of the issues the team presented, including union leave, health and safety, hours of work, whistleblowing and abuse of seasonal employees. The team also did not get a response on their pay demand, which, in a proposed four-year agreement, includes a 5% economic increase per year.

More details on negotiations and demands of each Table can be obtained from our Web site at www.psac-afpc.com.

CFIA

With the help of a conciliation officer, PSAC members working at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency were able to make small progress towards a new collective agreement. They agreed in principle on issues like union leave, sick leave, and care and nurturing of pre-school-aged children, leave for long term care of a parent, bereavement leave, court leave and a new volunteer and personal leave. However, the employer keeps rejecting many of the PSAC demands and most of the bigger issues are still unresolved. For instance, the employer offered a salary increase of 1% per year, which is below the rate of inflation. The strategy coordinating committee for CFIA bargaining is looking at a possible strike vote for the new year.

CCRA

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

SSO

PSAC SSO Regional Office Interviewers achieved a tentative agreement on November 17. The tentative agreement includes a 2.8%, 2.5% and 2.5% economic increases respectively for each of the three years of the contract's duration. There were also improvements in premiums and leave. The collective agreement expires November 30, 2004.

National Gallery of Canada

The PSAC negotiating team representing members at the National Gallery of Canada, including its affiliate, the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, began negotiations Tuesday, November 19, 2003. This session of negotiations is scheduled for a total of four days.

In the first two days of negotiations, the parties have come to an agreement in principle on a number of issues and signed off contract language addressing Article 7, Recognition; Article 9, Employees' Representatives; Article 12, Information; and Article 18, Leave General.

Parks Canada

The bargaining team met with the Employer in the week of December 1 for the first time since exchanging demands in October. The session began with the Employer agreeing to our proposal to amend the calculation of retroactive pay adjustments, and this stood as the only area where agreement was reached all week. The Employer refused to respond to any other demands. The next session is scheduled for the weeks of January 26 and February 2, 2004.

Solidarity week a success

From December 1 to 5, hundreds of PSAC members across the country walked, sang and demonstrated during Solidarity Week to show their support for their PSAC bargaining teams. Pictures from the various activities are available on the PSAC Web site.

Health and Safety activists set sights on globalization

The cycle of PSAC national conferences continues with the 2004 National Health and Safety Conference to be held in Toronto from March 25 to 28.

With the theme "Health and Safety: Our Jobs, Our World", delegates will be discussing globalization and its direct relationship to decreased health and safety protection in the workplace. An example of globalization is the push for international free trade agreements to the exclusion of other policies, such as workers' rights and environmental protection.

Other objectives of the conference include:

* ensuring that health and safety issues are front and centre issues for the union and its membership;

* building the activism of the members and activists with respect to issues of health and safety in the workplace;

* developing and implementing union-based strategies to ensure that workplace health and safety issues are being addressed by employers and government; and

* establishing collective bargaining strategies.

Resolutions adopted by delegates of the conference will be submitted to the next PSAC Triennial National Convention.

If you wish to apply to be a delegate at the conference, you may complete an application form on-line at the PSAC Web site at www.psac-afpc.com or contact your Local, Component or Regional Office for an application form. You may also call (613) 560-5457, which is the general phone number for all enquiries about PSAC National Conferences. Enquiries can also be sent by email to PSAC National Health and Safety Officers Denis St-Jean (stjeand@psac-afpc.com) or Jeff Bennie (benniej@psac-afpc.com). The submission deadline for applications is January 7, 2004, at 4 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.

PSAC members are also encouraged to inform Health and Safety Representatives, Health and Safety activists and members of Policy Health and Safety Committees and Local Workplace Health and Safety Committees of the upcoming conference.