The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
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Saint Andrews Branch Report

76th Atlantic Regional Council

May 24 - 25, 2019

Executive Meeting Dates

  •  May 23rd, 2018
  • October 24th, 2018.
  • Planning and communication within the executive is often through email due to field work and scheduling difficulties.

General Meeting Dates

  • AGM November 2018
  • Events
    • Bubble Soccer June 2018. 
    • Lunch and learn – With PSAC January 2018 ‘What is PIPSC, what do our unions do?’

Membership Concerns

  • Phoenix pay system.  There have been at least 4 grievances filed with respect to incorrect pay, missing retroactive pay or missed anniversary steps.  Many more instances exist that have not been grieved, many employees and especially terms continue to experience disputes over money owed back to the employer and missed final pay at end of term.  Many employees still do not know if the previous contract was settled correctly.
  • Promotion and career development – Our Branch is made up of a majority of SP members, many of our  BI’s were hired at the level 2 classification and over the years opportunity to advance without moving hundreds of kilometers have been rare.  Our BI’s gain experience and develop new skills every year, they take on new informal roles and duties only to not be able to convince managers that they have reached a threshold where a reclassification is warranted.  This is creating a workplace morale issue that perhaps is unique to more remote locations, but I expect not.  Many people who work here enjoy a small town and do not wish to uproot their families and move, as this also impact their families careers.  A career progression system similar to the RES system would be beneficial in order to foster professional growth and reward excellence and demonstrated role at level.
  • Conference attendance – Members have stated that they do not apply because they have been told often that there is no money.  Or regional directors tell us only a small number can attend, or you went last year.  Even if funds exist in a designated project and it is a deliverable, travel can be denied.  A clear auditable set of travel for conference attendance rules are required.  The RES group has made gains on this front, however the SP group does not have the same strong language around conference attendance in the collective agreement.