12 October 2017, Ottawa — Hundreds of public service workers are holding a rally at 12:30 pm today in front of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office to send a clear message to the Liberal government: Enough is enough!

The Liberal government had set itself a deadline of October 31, 2016, to resolve the bulk of pay cases and now, a year later, the Phoenix pay system is still struggling. It’s time to fix Phoenix once and for all and pay damages to the thousands of public service workers who have struggled with the consequences of erratic and insufficient pay and, in many cases, no pay.

The ill-conceived and premature launch of the Phoenix pay system has resulted in severe consequences, despite the estimated $750 million spent so far:

• nearly half of public service employees have had problems with pay, leading to a variety of stressful scenarios for workers and their families
• there have been 11 government-wide breaches of personal information due to Phoenix
• the number of new problematic pay cases continue to grow

“This has gone on long enough,” said Greg McGillis, Regional Executive Vice-President for the Public Service Alliance of Canada in the National Capital Region. “We call on the government to ensure public service workers receive payments for damages due to this unbelievable fiasco.”

“Fixing Phoenix means ending government’s appalling record of over-reliance on IBM and other outsourced services,” said Debi Daviau, President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. “Parliamentary Secretary Steven MacKinnon said last week that the government would fix this problem to everyone’s satisfaction using public employees. We plan to hold him to that promise.”

Media Contacts:

Alroy Fonseca                                                                       

Regional Political Communications Officer              

PSAC National Capital Region                                  

613-262-3658 | fonseca@psac-afpc.com

Johanne Fillion

Press Officer

PIPSC

613-883-4900 | jfillion@pipsc.ca

11 October 2017, Ottawa — Public service workers will be holding a rally in front of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office on October 12 to tell the Liberal government that: Enough is enough! Fix Phoenix now and pay damages to workers!

When: 12 October 2017 at 12:30pm

Where: Corner of Wellington and Elgin

What:

• Rally to protest Phoenix pay system.
• Photo ops:
  • crowds with placards.
• Interview ops:
  • Greg McGillis, Regional Executive Vice President for the National Capital Region, Public Service Alliance of Canada
  • Debi Daviau, President, The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
  • Sean McKenny, President, Ottawa & District Labour Council

Media Contacts:

Alroy Fonseca
Regional Political Communications Officer
PSAC National Capital Region
613-262-3658 | fonseca@psac-afpc.com

Johanne Fillion
Press Officer
PIPSC
613-883-4900 | jfillion@pipsc.ca

October 10, 2017 is World Mental Health Day. The Institute is pleased to announce that the Mental Health Resource Guide is now available! The Guide is a comprehensive tool-kit that will help you recognize the signs of mental illness, provides advice on starting these difficult conversations and includes information on where to access resources for support.

PIPSC is committed to supporting mentally healthy workplaces for all, and we pride ourselves in providing our leaders and members alike with tools they need to succeed.

With an estimated one in five Canadians experiencing a mental health issue every year, odds are you or someone you know is affected. In the workplace, this becomes especially problematic because while you might recognize the signs of a mental health issue, these types of conversations can be difficult and sensitive when it involves a colleague.

We recognize that education is an essential component in raising awareness and ensuring that those experiencing these types of issues are given the help they need.

We all have an important role to play in ensuring that our workplaces are mentally healthy and with this guide you will be better equipped to deal with what is quickly becoming the mental health epidemic.

Together we can break the stigma!

For more information: education@pipsc.ca