Over the last month we have seen our hard work pay off! Join one of three telephone town halls with President Debi Daviau for updates on both Phoenix damages and the central bargaining wins. There will be an opportunity to ask questions.
Date:
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Time:
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM ET (English)
7:45 PM – 8:45 PM ET (French)
9:30 PM – 10:30 PM ET (English)
How to participate:
You will receive a phone call on June 11 inviting you to join the call or the details will be left as a voicemail.
You may also dial directly into the call at the appropriate time on June 12:
PIPSC Submits its Views on Proposed Changes to the Official Languages Act
The federal government is currently undertaking a review to modernize the Official Languages Act (OLA), which became law in 1969. It is consulting Canadians on this issue, and in this context the Institute recently submitted its views on potential changes to the Act.
A report released yesterday from the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) confirms what we have been saying since November 2018 – Phoenix must be replaced and a new system can be cost effective.
Throwing good money after bad is not a viable strategy. Continuing to give money to companies like IBM to patch a broken system has to have an end date. Had the previous government listened to the advice of its own public service professionals, we could have avoided the Phoenix mess altogether. So much unnecessary pain and suffering has been caused to Canada's public service employees, and so much financial loss to all Canadians.
The costs of the current Phoenix pay system have skyrocketed due to cascading mistakes made throughout the outsourcing of the project development and rollout.
But looking at past mistakes isn't enough.
The government is currently in the process of identifying a replacement to the pay system and PIPSC is proud to be a leader in that process. We believe that if the new pay project is done free of ideology and in consultation with public servants, the cost will be reasonable. Although the PBO report does not factor in all that needs to be considered in new integrated HR-to-Pay system, it does demonstrate the urgent need for a new system.
We are pushing for the new pay project to move forward as quickly as possible and Treasury Board has indicated a pilot of the new NextGen HR-to-Pay system will be launched this fall.
I will be pushing the federal government to make a clear monetary commitment before the federal election so that work can continue on the NextGen HR-to-Pay project. Moving quickly on building a new pay system needs to be seen for what it is, a win-win-win situation, for public service employees, the Federal Government, and Canadian tax payers.
On behalf of all PIPSC members, I want to express our support and encouragement to our fellow members and all of those currently affected by the extensive flooding across the country.
Many of our members have been directly impacted as a result of the flooding and evacuations.
I’d like to sincerely thank our members and staff who have already pitched in to help, especially those that have helped me personally weather this flood. I know in my area more help is needed in both Ottawa and Gatineau.
Your department and management will continue to provide updates and direction on workplace access and commuting during this time of emergency.
We applaud you and the extraordinary responders who work tirelessly to save homes and protect communities.
PIPSC stands with you in solidarity and we call for urgent action from all levels of government to reverse and mitigate the dire impact of climate change.
Message from the President - Budget 2019: A Progressive Disappointment
It’s hard not to see the latest federal budget as a pre-election platform. It’s equally hard not to see it as a progress report on the “real change” promised during the last election.
Protecting our members’ pensions remains a top priority for PIPSC. On February 26, 2019 CRPEG President Jonathan Fitzpatrick was joined by Canadian Alliance of Nuclear Workers (CANW) representatives Steven Schumann and Matt Wayland in a meeting with three members of the Opposition on Parliament Hill. The issue: the return of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories workers into a public service pension plan.
The news this week that it will take a further three to five years to clean up the Phoenix backlog, and 10 or more years to stabilize the system, makes it obvious that on the third anniversary of the launch of the Phoenix pay system we should be laser-focused on implementing its replacement as soon as possible.
But in order for that to happen the government needs to commit the funding now to ensure implementation of a new system will survive the uncertain outcomes of the next federal election.
That’s why this week I held a press conference, along with Vice President Stéphane Aubry, calling on the government to commit the funds needed in next month’s federal budget, the last scheduled before the election. If passed, it would help lock in plans to launch a new system sooner rather than later (or worse, not at all).
And make no mistake, when it comes to the current round of collective bargaining, ensuring our members have better pay protections is a key PIPSC priority.
If there’s one potential election issue affecting federal public servants that ought to be settled now, it’s that we deserve a pay system that works.
In order to Do Better than Phoenix, the government should be prepared to pay now, not later.
On Tuesday February 5th PIPSC members were on Parliament Hill to discuss the importance of the critical public services we deliver to Canadians. A delegation of close to 30 members, representing a range of Groups and Regions, met with over 30 Parliamentarians. It was a unique opportunity to bring key priorities directly to the decision makers.
In a series of face-to-face meetings delegates discussed a range of issues with Members of Parliament (MPs) from all parties. These issues included restoring Canada’s public science capacity, reducing over-reliance on the outsourcing of government services, ensuring the integrity of the country’s tax system, and replacing the troubled Phoenix pay system.
Some key meetings to highlight included a successful discussion with Environment and Climate Change Canada Minister the Honourable Catherine McKenna about the need for better research and science funding in her department and across government. As she represents a riding in downtown Ottawa, she understood first-hand the issues our members face with the Phoenix pay system and vowed to stay committed to the issue. As you can see from photos below, we were also honoured to have both Treasury Board President the Honourable Jane Philpott and Labour Minister the Honourable Patty Hajdu come and speak at our wrap-up reception.
Our delegation also met with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) Parliamentary Secretary Steve McKinnon and took the opportunity to share with him our concerns with “activity based workplaces”. He was receptive and promised more consultation with unions.
Both Conservative and NDP MPs met with our delegates and we had some very productive discussions. We are able to identify new allies on our key issues. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May also took the time to attend our reception.
This year we had more meetings with Senators. We understand that they can be key allies on our issues and often influence the passage of legislation that impacts our members. We thank them also for their time!
Last but not least we want to thank MP Andrew Leslie who kindly hosted us on the Hill and even did a statement in the House of Commons on our Day of Action. Thank you Mr. Leslie, you are a great friend to PIPSC!
Overall it was a very successful day and works to ensure our issues are front and centre as we go into a federal election this Fall.
Meet some members of the #PIPSCLobby delegation on the Hill:
Big thanks to the fantastic PIPSC lobby team!
PIPSC Lobby team - President Debi Daviau, Emily Watkins, Judy Chow, Doug Masson, Waheed Khan and Peter Gabriel - met with the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Honourable Catherine McKenna.
We also had a great wrap up reception, our warmest thanks to all Ministers and MPs who came.
Check out some of the highlights from the day on Twitter using #PIPSCLobby and #IPFPCLobby.
Great to meet with @JennyKwanBC and fellow @PIPSC_IPFPC members this morning as part of #PIPSCLobby - good talks about internal R&D funding, outsourcing, tax fairness and #NixPhoenix #canlabGreat morning for #pipsclobby day. @PIPSC_IPFPCGreat meeting with Tracey Ramsey MP for Essex, Ont @traceyram #PIPSCLobby #canlab #canpoli #NixPhoenix with Stan Buday and Dr. Ayman Soryal on Tax Fairness, Contracting out, Phoenix and Science on behalf of PIPSC Members and all Canadians.Great wrap up reception for the #pipsclobby @PIPSC_IPFPC @Debi_Daviau. Thank you to all Ministers and MPs who came @AndrewLeslieMP @janephilpott @PattyHajdu.
On February 6, 2019, PIPSC President Debi Daviau and Steward Éric Massey, Nurse at the Archambault Institution in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights to discuss the issues faced by our members at correctional institutions across Canada, in particular those of our health care services members (SH Group).
