Human Rights & Diversity Committee Report

Dear colleagues,

I am honoured to present to you a summary of my activities as a Member of the Board and a proud Steward and union activist. None of these activities could have been accomplished without the support, encouragement and guidance of my colleagues including members of the Board of Directors, Regional, Branch, Group and Sub-Group Executives, Stewards, Union Activists, PIPSC staff members and above all, our members who have spoken to me about their issues during the year. Indeed, interactions with our members on a daily basis is the most valuable activity of my work.

The key areas of my work are:

• Human Rights & Diversity Committee

• Employee Wellness Support Program

• Public Science

In solidarity,

Waheed Khan
 

Report:

Human Rights & Diversity Committee:

The PIPSC Standing Committee of the Board on Human Rights & Diversity (HR&DC) has the following mandate:

The Human Rights and Diversity Committee (HRDC) shall advise and make recommendations to the Board on how to address concerns or issues identified in the Workplace which relate to the human rights of PIPSC members. To achieve its mandate, it will:

a)  monitor issues in the field of human rights, including employment equity and promote the contribution of members and the Institute in this field;

b)  coordinate and distribute information on human rights, Employment Equity and Diversity & Inclusion, and

c)  provide an ongoing forum where human rights issues can be discussed and studied.

The Committee participated and represented PIPSC at a number of events, which included:

Human Rights: An Introduction at CLC Ontario Region Summer School July 2019:

Tracy Thornton attended the CLC Pilot Course on Human Rights which focused on building skills and perspectives to better engage and represent the diversity of members. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and discrimination against people with disabilities are used to divide workers, the course highlighted the role unions can play in advancing equity and change how systemic discrimination is addressed. I recommend that other PIPSC members attend this training to learn how to challenge oppressive attitude and behaviors, oppressive systems and oppressive ideas in our society through individual and collective action.

International Women Deliver Conference in Vancouver in May 2019:

Tracy Thornton and Samah Henein attended along with 8,000 others – including PIPSC executives, heads of states, ministers, parliamentarians, academics, advocates, activists and journalists - from over 165 countries on site and more than 100,000 joining by satellite. With a theme of ‘Power for Change’ the conference focused on health, nutrition, education, economic and political empowerment to human rights, good governance, and girls’ and women’s agency and equality.  Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women, to realize their full potential is essential to strengthening the economy and building a healthier, more secure future around the world.

“We are in the trenches fighting customs, beliefs, social norms – governments don’t do this – it’s us: women’s movements. Patriarchy holds governments, and women are kept out. They use culture and tradition to justify it. It’s norms holding us down.’

Oxfam International’s Executive Director Winnie Byanyima

International Women Day 2019:

HR&DC members including Charlotte Young, Tracy Thornton, Samah Henein and Waheed Khan participated in activities at various work locations

Indigenous Peoples Day Pow Wow at Vincent Massey Park, Ottawa:

Charlotte Young represented PIPSC and supported the event.

Pride Parade in Ottawa and Calgary:

Charlotte Young, Samah Henein and Gordon Bulmer, along with several PIPSC activists participated in the Pride Parade and distributed PIPSC visibility items.

Indigenous Peoples’ Lobby Day organized by the Canadian Labour Congress:

Charlotte Young joined other PIPSC union activists to lobby parliamentarians and their staff on Indigenous issues

Orange Shirt Day to increase awareness about Indigenous Women’s Issues at various locations:

Samah Henein, Waheed Khan and other members participated in the Orange Shirt Day and took to the social media to raise awareness about Indigenous issues.

Pink Shirt Day:

Members of the Committee including Waheed Khan participated in Pink Shirt Day in order to raise awareness about the adverse effects of harassment and bullying in the workplace.

Labour Day:

HR&DC members participated in Labour Day events in their respective locations, along with other PIPSC executives and activists, CLC and sister unions.

Respectful Workplaces:

PIPSC has been in the forefront of promoting Respect in the workplace. According to Public Service Employees’ Survey 2018, 15% of public servants indicated that they have been the victim of harassment on the job in the past year. This number can be much higher for specific groups. For example, members of some employment equity groups, and employees in specific operational roles are more likely to indicate they have been harassed.

In April 2019, Waheed Khan made a presentation at the PIPSC Working Group on Consultation to discuss the issue of harassment and the fear of reprisal. A copy of the presentation can be found at (link).  A number of Departments including Environment & Climate Change Canada, Health Canada and Agriculture & Agri-food Canada are planning to celebrate National Respect Day on November 28, 2019. If you and your Department are interested in promoting Respectful Workplaces, please contact him at Waheed.Khan@pipsc.ca

HR&DC worked closely with PIPSC leaders including President Debi Daviau, Vice President Steve Hindle and Sean O ’Riley and provided recommendations to the Board and the AGM 2019 planning committee to promote “respect” at the AGM including through a “Code of Respect (insert link)”. We invite you to lead a change in culture by personal example to implement and promote the Code of Respect, to visit the HR&DC kiosk at the AGM and participate in activities that will promote respect in all PIPSC meetings. HR&DC also submitted the following recommendations to the Board:

I. Transportation for members from Downtown hotels to Gatineau will cause disproportionately higher challenges to persons with disability. HRDC recommends that priority should be given to members who have identified themselves as persons with disability, to stay at Hilton Lac Leamy. In this regard, HRDC can send a message to members encouraging them to self identify while registering as delegates. We also recommend that PIPSC may hold a number of rooms in reserve for persons who may require Accommodation.

II. HRDC members are prepared to set up a “Duty to Accommodate” desk at Hilton Lac Leamy adjacent to registration, where delegates requiring any special accommodation can come for help. This will ensure that persons who need special assistance and accessibility receive advice and help through a one-window facility, and do not have to run after hotel and PIPSC staff, who may be busy with their own work.

III. Many delegates have special dietary needs, some of which are reported at the time of registration, and are accommodated for main course (e.g., vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, pork-free, etc.). However, food served during various function are often not labelled, which not only creates inconvenience and uncertainty, but also discourages delegates who observe strict diet on account of health reasons, beliefs/religion or personal preference. Diet restriction should not be construed as equivalent to lower quality or lower taste. HRDC recommends that arrangements should be made with our host hotels to provide appropriate selection of food, mark food by content, and ensure that separate utensils are provided to prevent any mixing up of food.

IV. Members of the HRDC who have not been selected as delegates should be given the opportunity to attend the AGM as delegates or as observers, so that they can enhance the visibility of HRDC and help other delegates who need assistance in order to fully participate in the AGM activities.

HR&DC also welcomes all delegates to come to the HR&DC kiosk set up in the Hilton Lac Leamy lobby during AGM 2019 if they need any help with accessibility, or have suggestions to make PIPSC events accessible by default. Please also feel free to submit your suggestions at chrd-cdpd@pipsc.ca

Visible Minorities Champions & Chairs Committee (VMCCC):

PIPSC actively participates in the Treasury Board Visible Minorities Champions & Chairs Committee, led by a Deputy Minister Champion. Waheed Khan chairs the Steering Committee of VMCCC which provides strategic guidance, advice and intelligence to the Deputy Minister Champion in his role as Chair of the VMCCC. As such, the Steering Committee discusses strategies and proposes solutions to issues and challenges identified by the visible minority public servants across Canada, and makes recommendations to the Deputy Minister Champion for visible minorities.  VMCC has identified the following three priorities for VMCCC:

• Career Development:  The estimates of workforce availabilities are significantly lower than the reality of visible minority representation in Canadian population and in the labour market, which results in significantly lower representation in the public service. For example, while 2016 Census of Household Survey estimated that 22.3% Canadians are visible minorities, the Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada for Fiscal Year 2016 to 2017 estimates their workforce availability at 13%. Members have pointed to the need for increased employment opportunities for visible minority youth, to reflect the growing percentage of visible minority Canadians, projected to reach 31.2% to 35.9% by 2031.

Language training that takes into consideration the linguistic profiles of visible minorities, whose first language is often neither English nor French, and provides enhanced support to help visible minorities achieve official bilingualism is also identified as a priority.

Names of the members of the committee

• Inclusiveness and Respect in the Workplace:  Committee members identified the need to "refresh the term "visible minorities" and the language used in the Employment Equity Act.  Visible Minorities are a highly diverse group of people and often face differentiated challenges, requiring differentiated solutions. They advocated that advancement throughout the public service of a critical mass of diverse, racialized people is needed to contribute to inclusion and to increase the diversity of perspectives in decision-making, policy development, program design and delivery.

• Harassment and Discrimination:  Members identified a need for employee to know exactly to whom or where to seek redress for the incidences of harassment and discrimination, since the bar for filing and proving harassment and discrimination is very high and the process cumbersome. They advocated for increased awareness of diverse cultural practices, development of cultural competencies among all employees and managers, and more openness for accommodations on religious and faith-based grounds.

Centre for Wellness, Inclusion & Diversity (CWIND):

On behalf of PIPSC, Waheed Khan co-chaired a Joint Union Management Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion, which released its report, “Building a Diverse and Inclusive Public Service: Final Report of the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion” in 2017. The Report stated its vision for the public service, “A world-class public service representative of Canada’s population, defined by its diverse workforce and welcoming, inclusive and supportive workplace, that aligns with Canada’s evolving human rights context and that is committed to innovation and achieving results.”

With consistent follow up with the Treasury Board President and Secretariat, TBS announced the establishment of the Centre for Wellness, Inclusion & Diversity (CWIND) in June 2019. PIPSC will continue to follow up with the new Government to influence the strategic direction of CWIND and to secure commitments for concrete actions that will achieve results envisaged by the Task Force.

Employee Wellness Support Program:

You may recall that in February 2014, Treasury Board President (Tony Clement) announced his intention to change sick leave policy for public servants. He proposed a format that would include five to seven sick days a year, eliminating sick leave banks and replacing them by a short-term disability plan of a week to six months. In 2015, the Liberal Government continued to take interest in modernizing the public sector sick leave system. PIPSC agreed to work with the Government based on the following key principles:

• Improvement to the current sick leave system, with no loss of income due to sickness

• Managed by public servants; no contracting out

• Included in the Collective Agreements

• Full cost of administering the sick leave borne by the employer

PIPSC established a Sick Leave Negotiations Team, which negotiated a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), reflecting the above principles, in December 2015. The MOA committed PIPSC and TBS to develop an Employee Wellness Support Program (EWSP). During 2017-19, PIPSC worked with TBS to develop EWSP and significant progress has been made. The EWSP Advisory Team successfully achieved its mandate. However, given the urgency of achieving an agreement to gain Phoenix compensation for our members, and to negotiate collective agreements for several of our Groups that were ready to do so, before the writ drop, the finalization of the EWSP will be resumed after the election of the new Government.
 

PIPSC and TBS recognize the tremendous work that has gone into developing EWSP and this commitment is reflected in a new Memorandum of Agreement included in collective agreements signed by PIPSC and TBS in August 2019.

In summary, the EWSP will include:

• Nine fully paid sick days per year, for sporadic sickness or injury

• Up to three days of unused sick days can be carried over to next year

• Twenty-six weeks of fully paid leave (salary continuation) for sickness of three days or more, or requiring hospitalization, or for chronic or episodic illnesses

• Includes receiving all benefits (e.g. medical, dental, accrual of pension and vacation)

• Annual sick days used for the three days qualification period will be returned

• Qualifying chronic or episodic illnesses will be exempt from waiting period

While the EWSP Advisory Team has completed its mandate, PIPSC will continue to work with the Groups to ensure that members are kept engaged and their priorities are addressed.

While the EWSP Advisory Team has completed its mandate, PIPSC will continue to work with the Groups to ensure that members are kept engaged and their priorities are addressed.

Public Science:

PIPSC has achieved tremendous progress during 2018-19 in its ongoing campaign since 2015 to strengthen public science. We have galvanized public support through the successful mobilization of our members and the support of our allies who share common interest.

Most Departments have announced and adopted their Scientific Integrity policies and are implementing them, while others are still working at various stages. Several science-based Departments have appointed Departmental Science Advisors, starting with Environment & Climate Change Canada in July 2019.

Waheed Khan organized and/or participated in over two dozen events in various Departments to engage our members on a number of issues affecting the work of scientists including the right of scientists to speak without hindrance and share information about their work, remove hurdles that hinder scientists from effectively participating in conferences, streamlining the career progression of research scientists, hiring Departmental Science Advisors and full and effective implementation of Scientific Integrity Policies by Departments that employ 10 or more RE and/or SP members.

PIPSC also worked on several other issues, in collaboration with other PIPSC leaders including President Debi Daviau, Vice President Stephane Aubry that are important to the effectiveness and efficiency of scientists, such as telework, GC Workplace and Phoenix pay issues.

Waheed Khan actively participated in PIPSC Lobby Day in February 2019 and several other meetings with Government leaders which included meetings with Treasury Board President Joyce Murray, Environment & Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, Patty Hajdu, Parliamentary Secretaries and NCR MPs including Greg Fergus, Karen McCrimmon and Chandra Arya and a number of senior officials to reinforce PIPSC views on key issues facing public servants, who are skillful, talented and committed to serve Canadians.

These efforts have contributed to a number of favourable developments for our members, such as halting the adoption of GC Workplace at Centre météorologique canadien, Dorval, the opening of PSPC Hubs in NCR and other major cities, where employees from participating Departments can work close to home, when required, with full access to their own office network, the opening of consultation on changes to workplace, and the inclusion of telework as a key issue in Beyond 2020, Ombudsman’s reports and Mental Health discussions.

Final Word:

PIPSC and its leaders derive their strength from our membership and our stewards in the workplace. Everyone of you, regardless of your identities, backgrounds, colour, ethnicity, gender, culture, religious inclination, and age, and whether you have recently joined the public service or have already devoted decades to serve and are enjoying a well-deserved retirement, can make a difference for the better, for PIPSC members, all public servants, the working class and indeed for all Canadians. Thank you for everything you do, even if you think no one is noticing. Please keep up the good work!