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From the President’s Desk
Dear Members,
I hope all of you are enjoying the warmer weather and longer days. Our Sub-Group Membership has been very fortunate when it comes to Workforce Adjustment, only a very limited number of members have been affected. A list of resources remains available in this newsletter for those requiring support. Alternation remains an excellent option for those wishing to leave the public service voluntarily in the coming months. It allows an individual to resign with Transition Support Measure and Severance while allowing a fellow member to retain employment within the public service. It’s a win for all!
With the Early Retirement Incentive (ERI) now confirmed and application period open, I know many of you have questions on the process for approval. At this time, PSPC Senior Management has not confirmed how it will proceed and no timeline has been shared with PIPSC. This demonstrates how the ERI was not well thought out and how important it is to consult bargaining agents before undertaking such programs.
With that being said, I know many of you have concerns about the upcoming change in the prescribed presence in the workplace currently planned to increase to 4 days/week as of July 6, 2026, for non-EX employees. There are still many unknowns about the approach PSPC will take. However, Senior Management has already confirmed that there is insufficient space to accommodate all employees for the July timeline. PIPSC representatives will continue to advocate to ensure that no increased return to office takes place unless the employer can guarantee that ergonomically safe work points will be available for all employees. Individuals who report to their assigned workplace and cannot find a work point should immediately inform their manager and file a Hazardous Occurrence Investigation Report (Form 874 on the forms catalogue) to report the ergonomic hazard. Please reach out to a Steward for support in this process.
On April 21, 2026, your Sub-Group hosted its first event of the year. A virtual Lunch & Learn with Dave Sutherland, Vice-President (Full-Time) of the Institute. Dave provided an update on the current priorities and hot topics including Workforce adjustment, Early Retirement Incentive and Return to Offices. It was also a good opportunity for members to ask questions and share their concerns with PIPSC Leadership.
PIPSC has now launched it’s long awaited updated website! It now allows members to create and login to their personal profile. The website is now more targeted and will allow members to find contents that are relevant to them much faster. You can now within a few clicks find the latest news from your Group/Sub-group as well as your Branch/Region.
The NR Bargaining Team is continuing preparation work ahead of the next round of bargaining. Thanks to all that participated in the Bargaining Survey, we saw a remarkably high participation rate. Over the coming months, the team will review the results of the survey to help set priorities and develop demands that will form the basis of negotiations.
I hope to see all of you at an upcoming event and don’t hesitate to come and greet me if you see me in the workplace. Feel free to write to me, I’m always happy to hear from fellow PIPSC members across the organization.
In Solidarity,
Charles Nellis (he/him), PMP, LEED Green Associate
cnellis@pipsc.ca
(613) 793-4099
Upcoming Sub-Group Events
You Sub-Group Executive is very excited to present of series of events this coming year. Separate invitations will be sent by email for each of them, please ensure to check your inbox and register.
– Collective Bargaining Information Webinar – Virtual – October 13, 2026 (12 to 1 pm)
– Annual General Meeting (AGM) – Virtual – December 1, 2026 (12 to 1 pm)
If you have any ideas for events that you would like to see or help organize, let us know.
Did you know that? – Phoenix Overpayments
This new section of the Quarterly Bulletin aims to share useful facts and information to help members be more aware of their rights and obligations in the workplace. In this edition, we will focus on overpayments dating more that 6 years.
If the overpayment, or part thereof, was deposited into an employee’s account more than 6 years prior to the date of the overpayment letter, employees should select the option that indicates they acknowledge the letter but are in disagreement with the validity of the amount (there are different versions of overpayment letters depending on the circumstance of each case, it will be either option 2 or 3) in their response to the Public Service Pay Centre. Their reply should include that they are disputing the amount (or part of the amount) based on the fact it is statute barred under the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act and should therefore not be recovered as they do not consent to repayment. If employees receive a reply back from a compensation advisor stating the amount is not statute barred or being coerced into repayment, they should immediately reach out to the PIPSC Phoenix Help Team to discuss next steps.
It is important to note that the 6-year clock starts from the date in which the overpayment was deposited/received by the employee – not the time period in which the payment was recorded in Phoenix. If any payments were deposited more than 6 years before the date of the letter, it goes beyond the expiry of the limitation period of the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act. As such, it should, generally speaking, not be recovered by the Public Service Pay Centre. We therefore recommend that you reach out to the PIPSC Phoenix Help Team to discuss next steps.
You can find more information about the Phoenix Pay System and find out what PIPSC is doing to advocate on your behalf on our PIPSC Phoenix Help Page.
NR Group News
NR March 2026 Newsletter
The latest NR Group Newsletter is available for you reading pleasure.
PIPSC News
New PIPSC: Our Union Course for members
“PIPSC: Our Union” is an online course for new and long-term members who want to understand the services we provide, how we represent our members’ interests, and how you can get involved to strengthen our community and drive positive change.
The course takes about 1.5 hours to complete and covers important information that members need to know about our union. You can complete the workshop at your own pace and on your own schedule.
PIPSC challenges federal rollout of early retirement program
Public service professionals are being pushed to make irreversible career decisions without the full information or agreed safeguards, as the government rolls out the Early Retirement Incentive (ERI) program outside the negotiated Workforce Adjustment (WFA) framework. In response, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) has filed a policy grievance stating that this approach violates consultation obligations and undermines collective agreement protections.
“We support early retirement as a way to avoid layoffs, but it must be implemented through the workforce adjustment framework set out in collective agreements,” said PIPSC President Sean O’Reilly. “In this case, the federal government has bypassed that framework, acted unilaterally, ignored its consultation obligations, and put hard-won protections at risk. That’s a dangerous precedent.”
Workforce Adjustment provisions exist to ensure job reductions are handled fairly, with clear rules, protections, and support for affected employees. PIPSC claims that rolling out ERI outside that framework creates confusion and uncertainty and raises concerns that employees could be pressured into leaving without fully understanding the consequences.
“Workers are receiving WFA notices and being pushed to make life-changing decisions under an incredibly short timeline,” said O’Reilly. “That’s unacceptable.”
Adding to the concerns, the ERI program is being funded through pension surplus assets, raising serious concerns that workers are effectively financing the cost of workforce reductions themselves.
“Using pension assets to fund early retirement means workers are effectively financing their own layoff,” said Sean O’Reilly. “That’s completely inappropriate for a decision of this scale. It should be treated as an employer cost, not shifted onto employees.”
PIPSC is calling on the employer to implement the ERI through the negotiated WFA framework and to fulfill its obligation to engage with bargaining agents under collective agreements.
PIPSC has also requested a meeting with the employer to obtain full details of the program and its potential impacts.
“Until there is full transparency and clear assurances that workers’ rights will be protected, this program should not move forward,” said O’Reilly. “We strongly urge members to speak with their union representative before making any decisions related to early retirement.”
PIPSC Legacy Foundation
The Legacy Foundation is committed to supporting the next generation of professionals. The foundation’s sole purpose is to support the education of deserving young people across Canada.
The mission of the Legacy Foundation is to promote the intertwined values of professionalism and service, both to community and to country. This mission is accomplished by awarding scholarships for post-secondary education.
The pursuit of knowledge is a cornerstone value for PIPSC. We have always understood the importance of education to our members and to Canadian society.
Through the generous donations of our PIPSC community and corporate sponsors, the foundation has generated more than a million dollars in scholarships for young Canadians.
Consider making a donation to the Legacy Foundation or find out more on how your children or grand-children can apply for this scholarship.
Workforce adjustment (WFA) Tools & Resources
A workforce adjustment (WFA) situation arises when the service of an employee is no longer required because of:
– Lack of work
– Discontinuance of a function
– A relocation of a work unit where the employee does not wish to relocate
– An alternative delivery initiative
In some situations, only specific positions are involved in a WFA, while in other cases the adjustment may involve entire work sections, functions or departments.
The primary objective of WFA is to ensure continued employment.
Continued employment does not necessarily mean continuation of work in the same or a similar position, or occupational group; accordingly, employees must not assume that their new job will be identical or similar to the vacated position.
Your Sub-Group has collated links to various resources about the Workforce adjustment process as well as tools to find other employment within the public service.
Workforce adjustment resources:
PIPSC Website on Workforce force adjustment
Government of Canada Website of Workforce adjustment
Appendix E Workforce Adjustment of the NR Collective Agreement
Understanding Workforce Adjustment (COR123) Online Course offered by the Canada School of Public Service
Public service employment resources:
Government of Canada Jobs (GcJobs)
Career Marketplace on Gcxchange (Government of Canada network only)
PIPSC Alternation Connect (PIPSC Email required)
Treasury Board Alternation Application (Government of Canada network only)
GC Alternation Facebook Group
GC Engineering Facebook Group
If you have any additional questions after reviewing the available resources, please contact a Steward.
A reminder that the Employee and Organizational Assistance Program (EOAP) remains available if you feel the need. You can contact them at 1-833-540-3292 or tpsgc.paeorcn-eoapncr.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
Service Plus
ServicePlus is your member benefits program where you can take advantage of preferential rates, discounts and savings on a variety of products and services available exclusively to members such insurance, retail, travel services, medical services, entertainment and many more. Make sure to check the website often as new partners and promotions appear regularly.
Update your Contact Information
Have you recently moved or changed your phone number? Or just unsure if we have the most recent contact information? If so, please ensure to verify and update your personal information in your PIPSC Account. If you receive communication from PIPSC on a professional email address, please consider changing it to your personal email. Our emails are often blocked by the employer’s email system.
If you have colleagues that are currently not a member of PIPSC or new employees within your team, please make sure to share this link to sign up with them. New employees are not automatically members of PIPSC, they must sign up.
More PISPC News
Stay current on the latest News & Issues that is of concern to PIPSC visiting this web page.
We need your help!
We always need help to organize events and conduct other initiatives for the Sub-Group. Members can also attend our monthly Executive Meetings as observers to learn more about Union Business and contribute to their Sub-Group. If this is of interest to you, please reach out to cnellis@pipsc.ca
We are also always looking for Stewards to join our team to support members in the workplace. We are especially looking for Stewards that come from equity seeking groups including women, visual minorities, persons with disabilities, Indigenous individuals, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community. If this is of interest to you, please consult this link and don’t hesitate to reach to a fellow Steward to get a better understanding of the role and determine if it suits you.
We are also in need of volunteers to become members of local Occupational Health & Safety Committees as PIPSC Representatives. This is a great way to become more familiar with an important aspect of the workplace and contribute improve the safety of the workplace in collaboration with management. Please note that you can only become a member of the Committee of your official place of work. Training is available and offered by the Employer. Please reach out to cnellis@pipsc.ca if interested.
Your Feedback
If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact anyone on the sub-group executive. We also look forward to your suggestions for lunch-and-learns, or any other type of event that would benefit the members of our sub-group.
If you require representation services or would like some advice on a situation arising in the workplace, please contact one of our stewards as soon as possible.