On July 4, 2017 the Institute and the employer signed the CS collective agreement. Today’s signing of the CS Group collective agreement follows the group’s ratification in May 2017 of the tentative agreement reached with the employer in March 2017. The employer has 120 days from the signature date to implement retroactive pay.
The “Holland Cross Debates” sessions are intended to offer an open discussion with some PIPSC officials about key issues in the collective bargaining and other career related issues. It is one thing to get the views of the local audience at each Debate, but the “Holland Cross Debates” are also keen to find out what the rest of PIPSC members think about the issues we raise.
The Professional Institute stands united with the Manitoba Federation of Labour and the Partnership to Defend Public Services in the fight against Bill 28, the Public Services Sustainability Act passed in late June by the Pallister government.
The Partnership filed an injunction earlier today challenging the constitutionality of the Act.
Bill 28 is a one-sided approach to a problem manufactured by the government in its 2017 Budget, and an unwarranted attack on public services and the professionals that deliver them.
On May 19, 2017, representatives from 12 organizations across the business sector all signed a letter, ”Investments in Our Borders”, that called upon the Canadian Federal Government to increase Canada Border Services Agency’s funding and resources to resolve the urgent problems related to the CBSA’s antiquated IT system.
Ordinarily, the announcement earlier this month that spending by the Department of Defence (DND) will grow from its current $18.9 billion to $32.7 billion by 2026 would be cause for Canadians (and especially PIPSC members employed by DND) to feel more secure. But references throughout Strong, Secure, and Engaged, Canada’s new defence policy, leave little doubt that continued over-reliance on outsourced services will form a major part of DND’s future. The policy is already raising alarms among other unions.
In addition, Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s commitment to kick in $35 billion of federal infrastructure money to attract even more private sector funding of federal projects suggests the trend could become permanent.
Rather than continue to increase the number of outsourced services, DND needs to commit to reducing them (and much sooner than 2026!) and to reinvesting in the staff it already employs. A good place to start would be by implementing the new provisions of the recent CS Group contract with PIPSC.
Decreasing federal reliance on so-called public-private partnerships (P3s), such as last year’s “multi-year $322 million contract to Uptime Infrastructure Partners for the expansion of Shared Services Canada (SSC) Enterprise Data Centre (EDC)” at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Borden, Ontario, should also be a priority.
I will be writing to Minister Harjit S. Sajjan in the next few days to encourage him to do just that.
Better Together!
Debi Daviau
President
From the 55,000 professionals across Canada’s federal and provincial public sectors who proudly serve Canadians every day and the union that represents them, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, a happy 150th birthday to the greatest country in the world!
Better Together!
Debi Daviau,
President
During this round of bargaining, the AV Group took the leadership on an insidious issue, Domestic Violence. While a broader national issue, Domestic Violence carries impacts, or the potential to impact PIPSC members. With the targeted assault on the Public Service sick leave program, PIPSC wants to ensure that sick leave modifications properly consider those needs associated with or arising from Domestic Violence.
DATE : July 26, 2017. 12:00– 13:30.
LOCATION: Joey Restaurant 820 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC
This is the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Vancouver NR Sub-Group, the primary forum for member's direct input into the business of the NR Group.
In addition to the formal AGM business we will have the Chair of the NR Group Bargaining team, Geoff Kendell from the national NR Group executive in attendance to provide details on the new collective agreement.
To all AFS members in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA),
As you are aware, the CRA has begun rolling out its GTA Service Modernization initiative across the region.
Although the employer claims that this is not a Workforce Adjustment (WFA) situation, it will have a huge impact on nearly one thousand of our members in the GTA, who are understandably upset at a management decision taken without any input or consultation from their bargaining agent.