The Treasury Board has announced that a claims office will open this week to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses public servants have incurred due to problems with the Phoenix pay system.
"I'm glad that our advocacy has resulted in real action," said PIPSC President Debi Daviau. "Some of our members have had to go into debt just to make ends meet. Hard working public service professionals should not be paying the price for the failure of the new pay system.”
Daviau first wrote to the Hon. Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board, earlier this summer asking that a system of reimbursement be set up to compensate public servants financially hit by the disastrous Phoenix pay system. She reiterated this demand in August when she appeared before the parliamentary committee studying the problems with the pay system.
What we know to date is that the claims office is designed to reimburse people as quickly as possible and departments will have the authority to pay any claims under $500. Larger and more complex claims will go to the Treasury Board to be settled.
Claim forms and Frequently Asked Questions are available on the Treasury Board website, as well other Phoenix-related information. PIPSC will work to file grievances if we are unhappy with the settlements offered. PIPSC will remain vigilant to ensure this claims office meets members’ needs and will use forums such as the new joint union-management committee on Phoenix to raise concerns.
We will keep members posted on further details of the claims office as they become available.
"We will continue to work together to find solutions and get our members the help and protections they deserve," said Daviau.
As we near the six-month anniversary of the ill-fated phase-in of the new Phoenix pay system, I wanted to take the opportunity to update you on the work we have been doing to help individuals affected by pay problems and to find collective solutions to the situation we continue to find ourselves in.
As your President, I am committed to exploring every way possible to pressure the government for solutions and to help those faced with hardship due to the Phoenix pay system. Since my last update, I have met several times with senior members of the Treasury Board and Public Services and Procurement Canada. I also met recently with both Treasury Board President Scott Brison and PSPC Minister Judy Foote. These were productive meetings but we nevertheless will continue to find ways to pressure the government into finding short and long term solutions.
We are still escalating critical cases to the Treasury Board and department heads and, as mentioned previously, urge that you contact your regional office to notify one of our Employment Relations Officers if you are experiencing any problems with your pay.
I would particularly like to take this opportunity to highlight for you a joint effort we have undertaken with other federal public sector unions to demand action on a number of key problems.
Collectively, we have raised serious concerns with affected members’ access to the Public Service Health Care Plan, including delayed access, inability to make amendments, and issues when leaving or on leave from the public service. We also reiterated our serious concern about the impacts to members on Long Term Disability. And, to mention only a few other issues, we raised the flag when it came to problems processing new hires, leaves (e.g., parental or maternity), pension deductions, salary adjustments, allowances, acting pay, return to work, overtime, department changes, union leave, taxation errors and, in general, inaccuracies on pay slips. The issue of problems with security clearances and credit rating problems due to Phoenix is another issue of concern to us.
We are also pleased to report that after much pressure from PIPSC and other unions, the Treasury Board will be opening a claims office where public servants can file requests for compensation for out-of-pocket expenses. As indicated by Deputy Minister Marie Lemay in her September 7 update, we hope to see the office up and running within the week.
It goes without saying that again I offer my deepest gratitude to our hardworking PIPSC stewards, consultation representatives, elected officials and staff that have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help members navigate a cumbersome process, get help and, ultimately, solve their pay issues.
This month Canadian university, college and high school students return to classes, many of them to pursue studies towards a profession. Some of these students worked for the federal government over the summer, and like many other federal public service employees were seriously impacted by the problems afflicting the Phoenix pay system.
Early last month, PIPSC offered its assistance to these students, providing guidance on accessing support from the Miramichi pay centre and even passing along to Treasury Board and other senior officials especially urgent cases we felt the government should expedite. As the month rolled on and no lasting solution to either members’ or students’ pay problems appeared evident, we continued to apply pressure to the government, especially as the end-of-August deadline for student tuition payments loomed.
On August 25, we wrote to Public Services and Procurement Canada, following Deputy Minister Marie Lemay’s then-most recent report on efforts taken to address Phoenix pay problems, and asked for details on the ministry’s progress dealing with student pay problems. We were informed that, as of August 24, 90% of student cases had been resolved and that by September 7 the remaining 10% would be settled.
We are very proud to have provided some small help to those students who have suffered as a result of the problems with the Phoenix pay system and hope that their experience has not soured them on hopes and ambitions of eventually pursuing a career in the federal public service.
We express our solidarity with these students and our very best wishes for their success in the coming year. We also of course express our hope that the federal government will soon recognize the lesson to be learned from outsourcing and under-resourcing basic public and employment services.
The Phoenix pay system continues to pose major problems for our members in the federal government. PIPSC remains committed to looking for ways to assist individual members as well as to work with senior public servants and elected officials to find solutions.
On Friday, August 19, I met with Minister Judy Foote, Public Works and Procurement Canada. I related our members’ continued problems with the system and even raised new issues we see emerging. The Minister listened and expressed deep concern and awareness of the issue. I repeated that our top priority is to ensure that payment to our members is expedited.
I specifically stated that lack of emergency pay for many of our members was unacceptable and that more department-specific solutions are required. If someone needs to have a cheque issued manually to them, then the employer should find a way to arrange this.
On Thursday, August 18, our members in Newfoundland and Labrador participated in a demonstration outside Minister Foote’s office in St. John’s along with representatives from other federal public sector unions, demanding immediate action. We thank them for taking the time on behalf of all public servants to voice their concerns.
As many are aware PIPSC has also been finding ways to assist students who have been disproportionately affected by problems with the pay system. We have reached out and assisted many who are fearful they will not have the funds to cover their tuition due at the end of this month. We raised this issue with the Minister and senior officials Friday and were assured they are working very hard to fix the problem. We will continue to work with students until we also see their issues resolved.
The Phoenix pay system we fear is yet another example of a failed outsourced IT “modernization” strategy rooted in a motivation to cut costs rather than improve services. We have now seen this scenario repeated a few times – e.g., the federal government’s e-mail consolidation and website renewal, to mention only two. We will continue to press the new government not to repeat the mistakes of the previous government and, instead, to properly plan and resource their projects.
My main message to the government has been they should have asked our members to carry out the testing and implementation of Phoenix and that they should reach out now to their workforce to help solve ongoing problems. Further, the government needs to consider what our members have to say about their plans at the outset of future projects if they want to avoid such catastrophic failures in the future.
In closing, I wish to express my deep appreciation for all the work consultation Presidents and other PIPSC leaders, stewards, volunteers and staff are doing to help members through this dire situation. Thank you!
I haven’t been paid since I started. What should I do?
We trust you have initiated steps to attempt to resolve this matter, but if not, you should first check if your department is served by the Pay Centre. If it is, ask your manager if all the necessary paperwork has been sent to the Pay Centre (letter of offer, the employee questionnaire, a completed and signed oath, income tax forms, and a completed Direct Deposit enrolment form). You can request “priority pay” from your Department (see Priority Schedule for Resolving Employee Pay Issues). You can also request an Emergency Salary Advance. Your case will be escalated if you have not received your regular pay within 21 days from the first or last day of work (see Service Standards, Pay Centre Escalation Process).
I submitted a Pay Action Request, now what?
You should have received a confirmation number after submitting a PAR. If your pay issue has not been resolved, we suggest contacting us to work with the Client Satisfaction Bureau on your behalf. Please see contact information below.
What recourse do I have?
Most students are not in a unionized position, but some are. This is sometimes indicated in your letter of offer of employment. If you are, contact your union steward to discuss options. If you are not, PIPSC is readily available as a resource to help you with pay-related concerns. Please see contact information below.
For further assistance, contact Catherine Wright, Labour Relations Associate, by email at: cwright@pipsc.ca, or phone: 613-228-6310 x 4742.
Sample Language
Below are examples of language that could be used for submitting written requests to your direct manager regarding pay issues.
No Pay
Dear ,
I was not paid for the period of (DATES). I have contacted the Pay Centre and have been unsuccessful in attempting to have the matter corrected in a timely manner. This situation is causing me financial problems and stress. I request that my case be referred to the Pay Centre with Priority 1 status, and that the Employer immediately correct my pay system issue.
Sincerely,
Incorrect / Incomplete Pay
Dear ,
My pay of (DATE) was not properly calculated and the amount deposited in my bank account was inaccurate. I have contacted the Pay Centre and have been unsuccessful in attempting to have the matter corrected in a timely manner. This situation is causing me financial problems and stress. I request that the Employer immediately correct my pay system issue.
Sincerely,
Seeking Reimbursement for Incurred Costs and/or Lost Interest:
If you have incurred costs as a result of your pay being delayed or withheld, we suggest writing your direct manager to request reimbursement of these costs. Below is an example of such a request:
Dear ,
I was (NOT PAID and/or MY PAY WAS INCORRECT) for the period of (DATES). I have contacted the Pay Centre and have been unsuccessful in attempting to have the matter corrected in a timely manner. This situation is causing me financial problems and stress.
Specifically, I have incurred undue costs of $____ to (DATE) by way of interest on (LOAN / LINE OF CREDIT / CREDIT CARD / ETC.) payments, which otherwise would have been mitigated by the timely disbursement of my pay. I have also lost interest on contributions to savings accounts which otherwise would have been made. I request that I be reimbursed for these costs and any future costs. I am prepared to provide evidence of these losses on a confidential basis. Sincerely,
PIPSC is reaching out to students hard hit by the federal government’s Phoenix pay problems
Download the poster
by offering guidance and advice on navigating the government’s existing processes to ensure they get paid. While we cannot represent these young workers, we do feel it is vital to offer what assistance we can to the next generation of federal public service employees. This assistance in no way interferes with the assistance we are currently offering members faced with similar problems.
Members who know of students facing Phoenix pay problems are encouraged to direct these student workers to www.pipsc.ca/students for assistance. No one’s work should go unpaid.
We have created a poster to promote this initiative in your worksite. You can download it here or request copies from HelpDesk@pipsc.ca.
The Parliamentary Committee on Government Operations will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday, July 28, 2016, 2-4 p.m. to discuss the Phoenix Pay System. The Committee meeting will stream live from http://parlvu.parl.gc.ca
As most of you are no doubt already aware, serious problems persist with the government’s Phoenix pay system and many PIPSC members continue to go without pay or are missing significant parts of their pay. Despite recognition of the problem by senior officials and an apology from the government we remain without a solution and with no clear timeline for a remedy.
Now, we are faced with news of a potential privacy breach. I have written to Treasury Board President Brison and Minister Foote asking for details of the breach. I have also reinforced the need for unions and employees to be notified and provided with details when these situations arise.
The Institute remains vigilant and continues to find ways to assist and pressure the government for a solution. PIPSC staff, stewards and volunteers are focused on assisting members to access help from the pay centre and their own departments. In addition, the PIPSC Board of Directors instituted a loan program for those members hardest-hit by pay problems. By doing so, we hope to alleviate the stress and genuine harm being done to our members by this poorly-executed transition to a new pay system.
I have also written to the President of the Treasury Board and to the Minister for Public Services and Procurement on many previous occasions and in June met with Minister Brison and senior officials to express our frustration and to demand a remedy. We recently received this response from the Treasury Board on our demand to have mitigated the financial penalties public servants are experiencing due to problems with Phoenix pay. We are now working with Treasury Board to establish concrete steps to ensure our members are repaid. We are also sending urgent cases directly to the Treasury Board Secretariat and have seen some resolved but not nearly enough.
If you are experiencing any Phoenix pay-related problems please inform your local Employment Relations Officer (ERO) in the regional office nearest to you so we can assist and monitor all problems. We recommend that you also contact the president or any member of your Consultation Team who is working with management in your Department/Agency to address specific problems.
I will continue to look for every opportunity to pressure this government to act quickly and effectively to solve pay issues.
Re: Loans to Members facing financial hardship due to pay transformation system
Dear Members,
Your Institute’s Board of Directors has approved a loan program for members experiencing financial hardship caused by problems with the new Phoenix pay system. As your union we feel we can help members in this time of need and uncertainty.
Attached are the guidelines for the loan program and an application.
As with any workplace issue you are having please contact your local Employment Relations Officer (ERO) in the regional office nearest to you.
Debi Daviau
Guidelines
Guidelines on Loans to Members Facing Financial Difficulties as a Result of the Pay Transformation
This policy is effective June 14, 2016.
On June 9, 2016, the Institute’s Board of Directors passed a resolution giving the President the authority to approve loans to members facing financial difficulties as a result of the pay transformation.
The objective of these guidelines are to provide a framework for the provision and administration of loans to members whose base pay has stopped being issued or has been issued in a drastically reduced amount as a result of the Government’s pay transformation initiative.
The President shall be responsible for reviewing loan applications and providing approval in accordance with these Guidelines.
A member will be eligible for a loan under these Guidelines if he/she:
i) Is a member of a bargaining unit for which the Institute is the Bargaining Agent;
ii) Has provided sufficient information to establish that his/her pay has not been issued or has been significantly reduced for some time as a result of the Government’s pay transformation initiative;
iii) Has provided sufficient information to establish that the reduced pay or absence of pay is causing significant hardship;
iv) Signs a promissory note and repayment schedule in a form required by the Institute.
Upon request, the member will provide any financial or other information required to process the application and that may be required from time to time by the Institute.
The maximum loan granted shall not normally exceed $5,000 and will be interest free.
The loan will become payable immediately upon receipt by the member of backpay owed by the employer and, in any event, no later than 6 months from the issuance of the loan.
As many of you know, we remain plagued with problems concerning the government’s new Phoenix pay system. Despite our continued efforts we still have members going without pay or experiencing discrepancies on their pay cheques. This seems especially true if they work shift work or have any irregularities to their pay. We know that in particular our nurses, who provide critical services to First Nations patients and who work long hours on shifts, are being disproportionately affected.
I had the opportunity this week to personally express our members’ concerns directly to Treasury Board President Scott Brison and senior officials from the Secretariat. He has asked us to send urgent and serious cases directly to his officials and they will work to provide help. As with any issue we encourage you to contact your local Employment Relations Officer (ERO) in the regional office nearest to you to relay this information.
I also took the time last week to again write Minister Brison and urged him to take urgent action.
In order to help you pursue pay problems please take the following steps so we can ensure timely follow up to resolve your case. We encourage members who have an issue with their pay to submit all requests by email to the Pay Centre (paycentre.centredepaye@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca), along with the required Pay Action Request (PAR) form. If a request is received without this form or mandatory fields are not completed, it will be rejected by the system automatically and returned to the sender.
To request a status of a Phoenix case that was previously submitted, please complete the Phoenix Case Status Request form. Please also inform your local Employment Relations Officer (ERO) in the regional office nearest to you so we can assist and monitor all problems. I will continue to look for every opportunity to pressure this government to act quickly and effectively to solve pay issues.
Debi Daviau,
President
PDF Version
June 3, 2016
Hon. Scott Brison
President of the Treasury Board
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs
90 Elgin Street, 8th Floor
Ottawa, ON K1A 0R5
I am writing again today concerning the Phoenix Pay System and my members’ timely access to their pay. We have had the opportunity to meet recently with Treasury Board officials and the Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada to express our concerns. We urge you to continue to find ways to ensure public servants have access to responsive help when they discover problems with their pay.
I have heard from countless members of the pay problems they are facing. These include delayed pay (often over consecutive pay periods), overpayments, and much evidence of a system that is not meeting the multiple pay situations, such as shift work, our members experience. As you can imagine, irregular pay can result in direct payments for mortgages, utilities, childcare and other day-to-day expenses being bounced and resulting in direct costs to our members.
In particular, we are still hearing of cases where employees are not being paid for overtime or acting pay and delays for resumption of pay when they return from a leave such as maternity. Another issue that deserves your immediate attention concerns Records of Employment. We have a number of cases of members waiting for their ROE to be issued so they can apply for Disability Insurance. This problem needs to be given greater priority.
We believe ongoing attention is still required to ensure that all pay and administrative problems employees are facing receives swift action.
The current situation is unacceptable and must be fixed as soon as possible. I look forward to your prompt reply and to learn what steps your department is taking to continue to fix this situation.
