Report of Vice-President Stéphane Aubry
Presented to the 98th Annual General Meeting
Dear Members:
I once again have the pleasure and privilege of presenting my annual report on the issues I have been working on over the past 12 months. Since I am less inclined to report in traditional ways, I urge you to follow me online and read my activity reports on Facebook and other social media. You can view this year my newly created InfoCapsules for social media at www.pipsc.ca/about/governance/executive-committee.
The Better Together team, for which I am responsible, was involved in organizing many events across the country. The team helped set up information booths, distribute flyers and organize demonstrations and marches. Events took place on Labour Day, Gay Pride Day and during Public Service Week, and some ad hoc events were held, like the March for Science on April 20 and gatherings to speak out against the failures of the Phoenix pay system. The team also attended close to 100 events organized by militants from various parts of the country, which I attended whenever feasible.
This year, the team developed some excellent promotional and educational materials, which are now available. A new mobilization kit was also produced, which will help you plan and run your Better Together events smoothly.
A new website dedicated to mobilization campaigns and events is up and running and will be increasingly used for our campaigns and to support your activities.
I am happy to inform you that our mobilization team is continuing to grow, with the addition of a Lead Mobilizer and, most recently, a Digital Strategist. Our future projects will be very dynamic and interactive.
The outsourcing of positions occupied by our members is a long-term issue. Thanks to the help of key representatives in our organization, we have come up with some ideas to tackle this abusive practice. In all of our campaigns and our interactions with the media, we take the opportunity to reinforce our message on the negative effects of contracting out and outsourcing. We have made significant gains with the public because the government has introduced some initiatives in the last few years that have been problematic. Obviously, these initiatives include the new Phoenix pay system, the Email transformation and Canada.ca. The CS Group succeeded in introducing text into their collective agreement to ensure that the departments do not abuse outsourcing.
Phoenix kept all of our labour relations officers, research teams, legal staff, communications team and our network of Stewards relatively busy. You have all done a great job in helping members who were victims of the Phoenix pay system. In addition to financially supporting some of our members, PIPSC also took legal action by filing a number of policy grievances against the employer.
President Debi Daviau, who is the spokesperson for PIPSC, regularly gave interviews to the media and was often quoted. I was pleased to help out by replacing her in several French-language media interviews. Our position has always been, and will continue to be, to help the employer address the problems involved in the fiasco as expeditiously as possible, to propose solutions, to promote internal solutions, and to learn from the lessons of this painful mess.
Another of my jobs as Vice-President is to serve on the PIPSC Board of Directors. Our Board is constantly looking at how to improve the organization’s operations and management/leadership structure in order to continue to offer good services to our members. We are all human, so sometimes personal positions interfere with how our activities are run. I am part of a special committee that was formed to examine PIPSC’s governance and to develop a set of recommendations to improve our internal operations. In recent years, the Board of Directors has commissioned some independent external studies. Our committee’s goal is to implement the practices that came out of those studies and to improve on them.
Conclusion
This has been another very busy year for me. Yes, I have my duties as a Part-time Vice-President, but my supervisor in the government sees my schedule of work differently. My involvement in the union tallies up to countless hours spent in moving my issues forward while promoting union values and standing up for the interests of workers. My Facebook contact card (as well as my Google Timeline) never cease to amaze me, with all of the different places I go to in order to meet you. I find it both exciting and rewarding!
Thank you for your support in defending Canadian workers. Through our membership in the Canadian Labour Congress and the Fédération des travailleuses et travailleurs du Québec, we are adding our voice to the collective demands to establish a universal pharmacare program, raise the minimum wage to $15, enhance the Canada Pension Plan and advocate for defined benefit plans. PIPSC is considered a shining light to other workers wishing for better working conditions. We must continue to stand up for professionalism and expertise in Canada, and remind governments and employers to invest in their human resources.
It has been an honour and a privilege to continue serving you. Feel free to contact me with any comments or questions. You can find me online at Aubry.S@ipfpc.ca, @StephAubry_GF or facebook.com/stephane.aubry.GF.
Stéphane Aubry, GF
National Vice-President