FAQs: CS group conversion to IT group

We expect the conversion to occur by the end of the year. The Advanced Personal Notifications (APNs) are expected to be distributed the week of September 20, 2021. The Official Personal Notifications (OPNs) are expected to be distributed December 9, 2021.

PIPSC will remain your union, as the approved bargaining agent for the new IT classification. Just like the CS job evaluation standard, the IT job evaluation standard has a five-level classification structure. It is expected that most positions will maintain their level at the time of conversion. For example, a CS-01 should convert to IT-01, and so on. In these cases, the conversion from CS to IT will be seamless.

Your salary will not change as a result of converting from CS to IT. We expect the majority of members to convert at the same level (for example, CS-02 to IT-02). In the unlikely event that you are converted to a lower level or another occupational group, your salary will be protected if the maximum salary of your new group and level is lower than the maximum of your current group and level. Rates of pay are subject to change during the collective bargaining process, which will start once the collective agreement expires on December 21, 2021.

No, the conversion process is strictly classification-related and involves updates to the group definition, job evaluation standard, and education requirements. Changes to the collective agreement are subject to negotiations during the collective bargaining process, which is a separate process.

The term “generic job description” or “generics” is now referred to and known as a “standardized job description”. A standardized job description (SJD) is a document that describes a job applied to more than one position where all positions are classified at the same occupational group and level. As a member, you occupy a unique position but the job you perform may be very similar to one performed by someone else in the organization.

Under Article 20.02 of your collective agreement, you are entitled to make this request. When making your request to your manager or supervisor, we recommend that you do it in writing and indicate a desired time frame for receiving your job description (typically 7-10 business days). If you do not receive the requested job description, it is recommended that you follow up with your manager, verbally and in writing. Should you still not receive your job description, you may refer to your collective agreement, or union representative for the specific time frame to file your grievance.

Management has the right to organize work and assign duties, including the addition or the removal of duties. If you are concerned that the removal of duties could result in your position being classified at a lower level, then discuss this with your manager and/or your union representative. It is possible to request a review and update of your position to validate the classification level.

In the event that the removal of functions results in a lower classification being assigned to the position that you occupy, then your salary would be protected at the higher level for as long as you remain in that position.

It is important to keep in mind that it is the duties and responsibilities as described in the job description that are evaluated and classified. Even if it seems that you perform virtually all the same duties, if your colleagues’ job descriptions are different from yours, this could explain the difference in the classification. You should ensure that your job description is complete and current to ensure your job is properly classified. Another reason for the difference in classification could be that, while you might perform quite similar duties, the reporting structure for your position is different than that for your colleagues. Such a difference would change the context in which your job operates possibly resulting in a different rating pattern.

You could ask your manager to review your job description. However, it is important to keep in mind that volume of work is irrelevant to the classification level of a position. Rather, it is the type of work that is assigned and performed in your job that is evaluated to determine the classification level. In other words, performing more of the same type of duty will not change the evaluation and level of your position.

No. When a standardized job description is formally applied to your position, you will receive a letter informing you that your job description has changed. While many departments are reviewing CS job descriptions in advance of the conversion to IT, this exercise is not tied to the advanced personal notification (APN) and official personal notification (OPN) conversion requirements. Updating job descriptions is part of a regular classification process and is a good way for your manager to confirm that your job description is up to date. The APNs and OPNs for IT conversion will all be sent to employees at a time specified by the employer and will be distributed at the same time for all CS employees in all departments.

No, we understand they will not. Although many members may have their job description reviewed leading up to the IT conversion. You should have access to your job description at any point by request. See the related question on initiating a conversation with your manager to ensure the job description assigned to your position is complete and current. The APN will inform you of the IT level of your position. There will be a period between the APN and the OPN to discuss your situation with your manager should you have any questions or concerns.

Members who are acting at the time of the IT conversion will receive an APN and OPN for their substantive position, but not for their acting position. For your acting position you will receive a letter informing you that your acting position has been converted to IT and the resulting level in IT.

If you are currently salary protected in your CS position, then upon conversion to the IT group, you are entitled to that same salary protection and it will continue to apply. You would only lose your entitlement to salary protection if you vacate your position.

To use example salaries, say the CS-03 pay rate is $103,000 but the member is salary protected at their former DS-04 rate of $110,000. Upon conversion, when the position of the member becomes an IT-03, the member will retain their salary protection status of the DS-04 at $110,000.

The employer is not posting documents until they are in effect. We expect that the IT job evaluation standard will be available on or after the conversion date.

A classification grievance is a written complaint that you submit if you oppose the classification of the work that is assigned to you by your manager and that is described in the job description of the position you occupy. You can file a classification grievance if you believe: 

• your position has been allocated to the wrong occupational group and/or sub-group  
• your position has been assigned to the wrong level
• your position has been assigned an incorrect point rating
  
  A job content grievance is a written complaint presented in accordance with the collective agreement regarding an employee’s right to a complete and current statement of duties. 

When evaluating your position, the classification grievance committee reviews your supervisor’s job description to better understand how your position functions within the organization, how the work flows and who has responsibility and accountability for which activities and decisions.

The evaluation involves assessing the work of a given position within its organization. The evaluator reviews the job description, a current organization chart and any other relevant documentation to understand the activities performed by the position. The job must first be allocated to the appropriate occupational group and, if applicable, a sub-group. The job description is then evaluated against the corresponding job evaluation standard. Before a final decision is made, the evaluator considers relevant similar positions both internal and external to the organization.

The elements included in the IT job evaluation standard meet the requirements of the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA). Each element in the standard can be linked to one of the four CHRA criteria – skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions.

If you file both a classification grievance and a job content grievance, the job content grievance must be resolved before proceeding to the classification grievance. In other words, the classification grievance is placed in abeyance pending the resolution of the job content grievance.

If the decision resulting from the job content grievance is to amend the job description, it should then be submitted for classification review, and a new classification decision will be rendered.

Once the job content grievance is resolved, you will then be asked to confirm whether you intend to pursue or withdraw your original classification grievance based on this revised classification decision. The change in duties should be reflected in the effective date of the job description from the date that you began performing all the duties.

If the job content grievance is denied and no changes are made to the job description, you may still proceed with your initial classification grievance. However, check with your representative or classification officer on the merits of your case.

Below is the list of work streams in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) suite of interdepartmental standardized job descriptions. The job descriptions are currently being updated and some streams will have new names. For clarity, the list below includes both the current and new stream names: