Dear AFS members,
On September 16, your AFS Bargaining Team reached a tentative agreement with the CRA. We would like to acknowledge the work of our past bargaining team members that helped us get this far. Thanks to Dan Jones, Pam Kubicz, Dan Quinn, Alnashir Ravjiani, and Robert Trudeau.
The AFS Bargaining Team unanimously endorses the acceptance of this agreement on behalf of the AFS Group.
If ratified by our AFS members, wage rate increases will be as follows:
• Effective December 22, 2022 – increase to rates of pay: 3.5% + 1.25% wage adjustment
• Effective December 22, 2023 – increase to rates of pay: 3.0% + 0.5% pay line adjustment
• Effective December 22, 2024 – increase to rates of pay: 2.0% + 0.25% wage adjustment
• Effective December 22, 2025 – increase to rates of pay: 2.0%
The agreement also provides for a one-time lump-sum payment of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) to incumbents of positions within the PIPSC-AFS Group on the date of signing of the collective agreement.
We were able to achieve some adjustments for known pay concerns for our AU-2, AU-3, FI-4 and PS members and introduced new pay tables for our newest members in the NU-EMA classification.
Full details of the economic increases will be included in our ratification package.
We are proud to share that we held firm against employer demands to roll back work life balance provisions for members who work at home for call-back, standby, reporting pay and designated holidays.
We also achieved numerous improvements to employee benefit and protection clauses including …
- Groundbreaking addition of 3-days of still-born bereavement leave;
- Family related leave with pay to visit a family member who, due to an incurable terminal illness, is nearing the end of their life;
- Family related leave with pay for professional appointments increased from 7.5 to 15 hours;
- Leave for traditional indigenous practices introduced with ability to make up the time;
- Flexible work hours pilot extended and expanded;
- Telework memorandum of agreement with improved grievance timelines;
- Increased shift and weekend premiums;
- Revised wording for domestic violence leave to resolve concerns with access to this leave;
- Access to harassment and discrimination reports to involved parties;
- Workforce Adjustment education allowance; counselling services; and preferred status periods.
The AFS Bargaining Team appreciates the strong support of our stewards and members. A full ratification package will be sent electronically to all Regular AFS members prior to voting. Contract information sessions will be held for members.
To vote on this tentative agreement, members of our bargaining unit must be Regular members of the AFS Group. If you have not signed up yet for membership, please complete the online form at member application .
We also encourage our members to join our PIPSC-IPFPC AFS Group/Groupe VFS Facebook group.
In solidarity,
Doug Mason, AFS President
AFS Bargaining Team:
Doug Mason, Chair
Shawn Gillis, Vice-Chair
Allaudin Alibhai
Simon Chiu
Jean Couillard
Darcey Dueck
Abraham Garcia
Mary Lycett
Susanna Moretta
Chris Roach
Paul Tsuji
Vance Coulas, Negotiator
Christopher Schulz, Employment Relations Officer