Fellow members,

Following tremendous pressure on the part of public service bargaining agents, the government has finally introduced some much-needed flexibility in the recovery of overpayments caused by Phoenix.

According to the Treasury Board, “in order to relieve and mitigate the financial stress and hardships of employees experiencing overpayments in Phoenix”, the Employer will now adopt a “flexible and respectful approach to managing the recovery of overpayments (including Emergency Salary Advances and priority payments)”.

This is an important development for our members. Unless an employee decides on an earlier repayment schedule, the Employer has agreed to delay, all or in part, the recovery of these types of overpayments until their pay file is reconciled – which it defines as receiving their correct pay for three consecutive pay periods.

In the case of employees currently on Leave Without Pay, the recovery process is not to begin until they return to work or their employment is terminated.

Your Department/Agency or the Pay Centre must develop with you a flexible repayment schedule.  According to our information, you are to be provided “maximum discretion, as reasonable, to determine a repayment plan.”

If you have any questions, please contact your departmental Labour Relations or Compensation staff.

Need help with your Phoenix issues? Contact us at https://www.pipsc.ca/news-issues/phoenix-pay-system/phoenix-help-form.

Better Together,

Debi Daviau,
President

A Special General Meeting was held to consider the decision of a Panel of Peers to remove Mr. Peter Taticek from his duties as a Board member.

In keeping with the legislation governing the Institute, a Special General Meeting of the NCR members held a democratic vote and decided against implementing the decision of the Panel of Peers.

As always, the Institute's focus remains on getting results for our members. Governance issues can be common in democratic organizations, but they have never distracted the Institute from serving our 55,000 professional members. As evidenced by our recent achievements at the bargaining table and our growing influence on the government's agenda, our union is stronger than ever.

Bill C-65 was introduced by Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Patty Hajdu last November and after second reading, was referred to the HUMA Committee, which is seeking comments from Canadians on the Bill.

The Institute is pleased that the government is taking legislative steps to prevent harassment and violence, including sexual harassment and sexual violence, in federally-regulated workplaces. These steps are much-needed and long-overdue.

However, the Institute is concerned about what Bill C-65 does not include. In particular, many important and key details regarding how the legislation will operate have been left to the regulations. These include the definition of harassment, the exceptions to the employer’s duty to investigate and report harassment, and the process to be followed when complaints are investigated, including what procedural fairness guarantees will be put in place, the remedies available to victims of harassment and the potential repercussions for harassers. As well, proper staffing and resources need to be allocated to these processes to ensure timely and fair investigations and effective redress for victims. In addition, consideration needs to be given to how the legislation will interact with existing processes in place, including collective agreement rights, and should explicitly address the rights of unionized employees to union representation throughout.

Read our complete brief.