From March 7 – 9, our AFS bargaining team met with the employer to continue negotiations for the renewal of our collective agreement.
The week started with good news, the employer agreed to provide more complete member information to PIPSC which will help us keep in touch with our membership. Progress was also made in a few areas and our AFS bargaining team continues to bargain in good faith.
Unfortunately, CRA is forcing its workers to return to the office this month, without any operational requirements. CRA has doubled down with demands for concessions from our members who perform work from home. The employer has demanded more restrictions on hours of work, and for those working from home, they want to take away reporting pay, call-back pay, standby pay, overtime meal allowance, and the premium for working on a designated holiday. The employer needs to recognize the serious inconvenience to our members from having to disrupt their personal time. This does not reflect CRA’s “People First” philosophy.
CRA’s proposed concessions would punish our members who are working from home. The entire federal government has recruitment and retention issues. In response, CRA is making demands that would significantly impact its ability to recruit or retain our valued members.
Your union has told the employer that our members have no interest in demands for concessions. We delivered presentations in support of enhancing sick leave, career development, and harassment concerns.
Pay is the overriding priority of our members and bargaining team.
Non-monetary demands are always discussed first in bargaining. We have been preparing for the overriding priority of getting fair pay for our members, through feedback from our members and by working with our PIPSC research team. We will deliver our pay demands at our next bargaining session in April.
Your ongoing support is essential as we work towards reaching a settlement that includes fair wage increases for all our AFS members.
To keep up to date on bargaining developments, please provide your non-work email to PIPSC. You can update your information here.
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
Pam Kubicz
Mary Lycett
Susanna Moretta
Dan Quinn
Al Ravjiani
Chris Roach
Patrick Tsie8ei (Sioui)
Vance Coulas, Negotiator
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AFS Bargaining Status Summary
· Survey Members for Bargaining Demands – completed
· Finalization of Bargaining Demands – completed
· Serving of Notice to Bargain – completed
· Exchange of Bargaining Demands – completed
· Negotiations to Achieve Tentative Agreement – in progress
· Establishment of National Strike Committee – if necessary
· Identification of Local Strike Captains – if necessary
· Distribution of Strike Manuals to Stewards – if necessary
· Essential Services Agreement – review for updates
· Public Interest Commission Report – if necessary
· Membership Strike Vote – if necessary
· Strike Action – if necessary
· Tentative Agreement (TA) – goal
· Bargaining Unit Ratification Vote – after TA Reached