The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
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Dear Members,

Last week I was invited to meet with the Cabinet level working group on the Phoenix pay system to discuss potential solutions. I last met with the Cabinet committee in June 2017 and since then we have sadly seen little to no progress – in fact the problems continue to mount.

I took the time to remind them of the pain and suffering our members are still experiencing due to the Phoenix pay system. I wanted to make sure they do not forget the human side of this fiasco.

I also took the opportunity to deliver some key messages and asked them to do the following:

  • Pay employees correctly and on time!
  • Allocate more resources in departments and agencies to help employees with their pay problems.
  • Nix Phoenix and start building an alternative system – one built by our own government IT professionals.
  • Award damages to compensate for the problems Phoenix has inflicted on so many.
  • Create a tax exemption for those who have experienced overpayments

I believe the Ministers understood the gravity of the issue and are working hard to find solutions. They themselves hear from many federal employees in their MP Constituency offices.  I hope to hear news from them soon on our key priorities – we need to see progress.  With the Federal Budget around the corner I am hopeful we will see a meaningful plan and investment to ensure federal employees are paid correctly and on time.

Help me keep the pressure on government to replace Phoenix with a system that works -- one built by federal IT experts. Email the ministerial working group today.

Sincerely,
Debi Daviau

Published on 20 February 2018

Movie Night

Greenwood and Kentville Branches and

Annapolis Valley CS Sub-Group

The PIPSC Greenwood Branch, in association with the Annapolis Valley CS Sub-Group and the Kentville Branch, is planning a movie night at the Cineplex Theatre in New Minas on Monday February 26th. Passes for admission and snacks will be provided for members and a guest who would like to attend. This is an opportunity to get out and shake off those winter blues with your fellow PIPSC members!

Published on 19 February 2018

OTTAWA, Feb. 16, 2018 - As the second anniversary of the launch of the Phoenix pay system approaches, 17 unions representing over 225,000 federal public service workers have sent a joint letter of demands to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The unions are asking the Prime Minister to deliver a plan to work with federal government employees to rebuild a payroll system that will pay them accurately and on time – every time.

In the shorter term, the unions are calling for urgent action to mitigate the adverse consequences of Phoenix, such as granting an exemption for employees in receipt of overpayments from repaying the gross amount, which is more than what they have received. They also call on the federal government to provide damages to make workers whole for the many hardships Phoenix has caused them, including untold stress, and the time spent dealing with their pay problems.

"In the lead up to and launch of Phoenix, the government ignored its employees and the unions that represent them," said Public Service Alliance of Canada National President Robyn Benson. "The Prime Minister must learn from this mistake and act urgently on our requests to ease the hardship of our members caught in this nightmare."

"Our members deserve a federal payroll system that works," said Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada President Debi Daviau. "That will only happen when the government acknowledges it needs to nix Phoenix and begins working with our members on a system that isn't programmed to fail."

"Throughout this saga, public servants have been steadfast; they keep showing up to work despite not getting paid correctly and continue to deliver world class services to Canadians," said Canadian Association of Professional Employees President Greg Phillips. "Likewise, they expect their leaders to show up with the same level of determination and commitment – to treat this issue with the urgency and seriousness it deserves."

On February 14, Benson and Daviau met with the Ministerial working group on Phoenix to reiterate the concerns raised in this letter. A copy of the letter to the Prime Minister is attached.

For further information: PSAC Media contact: Jonathan Choquette, Communications Officer / Agent de communications, (819) 773-2511, (613) 560-4317, choquej@psac-afpc.com; CAPE Media contact: Ben René, Communications Officer / Agent de communications, 613-406-5962, brene@acep-cape.ca; PIPSC Media contact: Johanne Fillion, Communications Officer / Agente des communications, 613-228-6310, ext 4953 or 613-883-4900 (cell), jfillion@pipsc.ca

View the letter in PDF

This link will take you to an external website. Please note some employers may restrict access to external websites.

Published on 16 February 2018

Dear RO/RCO colleagues,

Since we wrote to you in December after our last negotiations with NRC management, your RO/RCO group bargaining team has been busy preparing for the next bargaining sessions scheduled for February 20-22, 2018 at the PIPSC office in Ottawa.

During that week of bargaining, we would appreciate visible support by RO/RCO members at work, in Ottawa and across Canada.  We encourage you to wear a Better Together pin or RO/RCO t-shirt or bring an RO/RCO mug or water bottle to a work meeting.

Published on 15 February 2018
As we communicated in our last update, the employer’s ratification process has become more complicated with the previous government’s introduction of Bill C-45. We’d like to explain the employer’s new ratification process in more detail so that everyone understands this long and frustrating process.
Published on 15 February 2018

FREDERICTON/OROMOCTO
SP SUB-GROUP
2018 Annual General Meeting

DATE: Tuesday Feb 27th, 2018

WHERE: The Fedora Room-The Kingswood Lodge

              31 Kingswood Park, Fredericton, NB

WHEN: 7:00 PM-9:00 PM

All SP members in the Fredericton/Oromocto area are cordially invited by the Fredericton/Oromocto SP Sub-Group Executive to join us for an Annual General Meeting.

Agenda:

Published on 14 February 2018