In May 2018, I spoke at the Atlantic Regional Council about ongoing issues surrounding the Phoenix pay system. If there’s one thing that brings home better than any other the impact of Phoenix it’s the stories our members have to tell.
The Institute’s Legacy Foundation would like to remind you that the deadline to submit a scholarship application is July 13, 2018.
In 2018, the Foundation will award the following scholarships:
To be eligible, applicants must be children or grandchildren of Regular or Retired members in good standing or members who were in good standing at the time of their death. Children or grandchildren of Rand deductees are not eligible.
Applicants must be entering their first year of post-secondary education in autumn 2018 in a full-time post-secondary program at an educational institution (including cégeps) in Canada or outside Canada.
The basis of selection is the same for all scholarships. Only one scholarship will be awarded to each of the chosen candidates.
Applications will be evaluated by an impartial selection panel using these factors:
More information and an official application form can be obtained at www.pipsc.ca/legacy or by email scholarship@pipsc.ca.
A complete application must include:
Please submit the application with your supporting documents by email to scholarship@pipsc.ca or by mail or fax to:
Evaluation Committee
The Professional Institute
Legacy Foundation
250 Tremblay Road Ottawa, Ontario
K1G 3J8
Telephone: (613) 228-6310 / 1-800-267-0446
Fax: (613) 228-9048 / 1-800-465-7477
All applicants, successful or otherwise, will be notified by the Evaluation Committee.
Awards will be applicable to the academic year commencing in September 2018. The successful candidates will be notified by mid-September 2018.
A cheque will be forwarded to the successful applicant once confirmation of enrollment in a post-secondary institution is received.
Please note that the Foundation may use photos and names of recipients in promotional material.
As the joint communiqué released today between Treasury Board President Scott Brison and myself shows, there is new progress to report on our efforts to replace the dysfunctional Phoenix pay system.
The government and PIPSC have agreed to “work collaboratively to explore all options to ensure that our public service has the best system available.” This at last indicates a strong commitment by the government to replace Phoenix, gives fresh hope that such a system will come sooner rather than later, and provides assurance that there is a role for PIPSC members in realizing it.
While we remain confident that the AFS proposal would result in faster conversion to a system that is cheaper, more accurate and reliable, the government continues to need convincing. We therefore will continue to champion this option (and encourage other members to do so), while also working with the government to examine all available options.
Coming so soon after the Auditor General’s final report on Phoenix’s “incomprehensible failure” (and our own assessment of that failure), I hope this new agreement gives us one more reason to celebrate National Public Service Week.
BetterTogether!
Debi Daviau
President
Protecting the pensions of our members is a top priority at PIPSC. That’s why over the last year we have been fighting so hard to ensure our members at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) remain in the Public Service Pension Plan. The Harper government removed nuclear workers from the public pension plan without consultation or discussion. As we all know, employees at CNL have been integral to the development of safe, medical isotopes to diagnose and treat disease.
Fellow members,
National Public Service Week is an occasion to recognize and celebrate the contributions public service professionals, like you, make to Canadian society.
I’m honoured to be part of PIPSC’s legacy in National Public Service Week; in fact, we proposed the idea in 1992. Over 26 years later, we continue to celebrate even in the face of the Phoenix crisis.
On behalf of The Professional Institute, I applaud your accomplishments. Thank you for your professionalism, dedication, and continuing to do your job, on behalf of Canadians, even when knowing you may not be paid correctly, if at all.
I want to take a moment to especially thank you for stepping up. Our members have gone above and beyond over the past two years to perform their jobs without the trust and security of a consistent pay cheque.
I’m proud of two years of constant pressure on the government to find a solution and to build an alternative system. In its latest Budget, the government committed $16 million towards the building of a new system that will ensure all public servants get paid accurately and on time. But that’s just a start.
We have to continue applying pressure on the government to make sure that our members are directly involved in the development, implementation and maintenance of this alternative system.
The government can do more, and Canadians deserve better, much better!
This week, I will be announcing PIPSC’s next steps in our plan to Nix Phoenix — so make sure to check your inbox in the coming days
As you celebrate your accomplishments, I encourage you to support our campaign by wearing Nix Phoenix buttons and decals.
You can order them at bettertogether@pipsc.ca. Please indicate the number of buttons and/or decals you need, and make sure to include your mailing address. Remember to share pictures of your local events on our Facebook and Twitter page!
Thank you again and happy National Public Service Week!
Better together,
Debi Daviau
President, PIPSC
action.pipsc.ca/nixphoenix
There should be nothing “incomprehensible” about the failure of the Phoenix pay system. And yet that’s exactly what Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s second and final report yesterday concluded. “The Phoenix project,” the AG said, “was an incomprehensible failure of project management and oversight,” born of what the Globe and Mail in its report describes as “an obedient public service fearful of making mistakes.”
It’s true, numerous warnings about Phoenix and countless pleas not to proceed with it (including from PIPSC and other unions) went inexplicably unheeded. But can we really say this failure by senior management (Ferguson singles out three unnamed government executives) was “incomprehensible”? No doubt the climate of fear cultivated by the former Harper government had a lot to do with this, as did its years of aggressive cost-cutting, distrust of the public service, dislike of unions, and over-reliance on outsourcing.
Given all these, it seems obvious that a government that welcomes in-house proposals for an alternative pay system, encourages the involvement of public servants, and doesn’t over-rely on outsourcing stands a much better chance not only of developing a better pay system but of changing the culture of the federal government along the lines proposed by the Auditor General.
As it happens, there is such a proposal, and it comes from PIPSC’s own AFS Group National Executive.
Better Together!
Debi Daviau
President
Dear Members,
Last month, I had the opportunity to represent PIPSC and the Canadian labour movement at the Labour 7 (L-7) summit in Ottawa. This was a preparatory meeting hosted by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) leading up to the G-7 meeting this summer in Québec. As a CLC Vice-President, I was invited to participate in this important discussion of how we can best tackle the challenges facing workers today and in the future. Topics included ensuring the innovation agenda is inclusive, gender equality, and adapting to technological change.
It was a unique opportunity to meet with labour leaders from the G-7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) and to discuss our issues with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and key members of his Cabinet. Not only did we enjoy an open and frank discussion with the Prime Minister, but we also had the opportunity to engage in a productive dialogue with Ministers Patty Hadju (Employment, Workforce Development and Labour), Maryam Monsef (Status of Women), and Chrystia Freeland (Foreign Affairs).
Below are a few photos from the two-day session, including one of me with our Prime Minister, and the other with an impressive group of international women leaders that I was humbled to meet.
Better Together!
Debi Daviau
Friends,
I have great news! You finally have a union.
The Federal Labour Board has granted our application to represent nearly 1,400 RCMP Civilian Members (CMs). That means you are now a PIPSC member and benefit from our services and the collective power of 55,000 public service professionals.
Being a PIPSC member empowers you to join the process of collective bargaining. It gives you a seat at the table. It allows you to directly advocate for yourself and your coworkers.
Like all Canadians, members of the Institute are shocked by the senseless deaths and horrific injuries that occurred yesterday afternoon in Toronto. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.
The tragedy took place in front of a major public service office building located at 4900 Yonge street. We don’t know at this time if any of our members were hurt in the catastrophe, and the vicinity of the building is the site of an ongoing investigation by Toronto police. As such, it is possible that access to the facility may be restricted today. We will keep you informed of developments as information becomes available.
Debi Daviau
President