This week, May 6-12, is National Nursing Week. We take this time to celebrate the incredible contributions nurses make to our public health care system and our communities. We are grateful.

We stand in solidarity with nurses across the country fighting for safe workplaces and to protect the public health care system that we all depend on. Take a moment to sign the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions petition calling for an end to violence in health care.

At the central bargaining table, we are fighting for pay protections, improved family leave and stronger anti-harassment measures. Nurses in our membership need these improvements to protect themselves at work and afford a healthy and sustainable work-life balance.

Show your support for our nurses and sign the Do Better pledge!

Sign the Pledge

Women from across the globe gathered in New York for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. At this sixty-third gathering of its kind, our own VP Norma Domey represented us as a part of the Canadian Labour Congress delegation.

This year’s meeting of the commission focused on social protection systems, access to public services, sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Themes which hold particular importance for trade unions.

VP Domey attended many sessions, official meetings, trainings, NGO briefings and valuable networking events. One of the many sessions focused on enhancing the role of women in the negotiation process as well as in building peace and security. The panel discussed best practices, women’s experiences, and identified possible entry points, mechanisms and recommendations to enhance women’s roles.

“It was an honour to represent my union and an inspiration to be organizing with so many powerful women from around the world. There is no doubt we have a long way to go, and in many ways these are tough times, but we have so much to work with.” Domey says.

On April 2nd, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) held its first-ever Indigenous Lobby Day on Parliament Hill, which was the first in Canadian labour history.

The CLC had 129 participants from 21 different union affiliates meeting with 78 Members of Parliament and Senators on Parliament Hill.  

Settler and Indigenous advocates alike stood together to call for:

Issue 1: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Inquiry

Issue 2: Access to Clean Drinking Water on Reserves

Issue 3: Honouring Residential School Children and Indigenous Education

Issue 4: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Our PIPSC lobby team of Steve Malenfant, Cheryl Morris, Charlotte Young, Tammy Okemaysim, Jordon Loverock, Greg Scriver, Kimberley Skanes (Atlantic Regional Director) and Norma Domey (Vice President) were in attendance. Our members are invested in Truth and Reconciliation and are passionate about equity and justice for Indigenous Peoples. 

Thank you to PIPSC’s CLC Indigenous Representative Greg Scriver, who helped coordinate, co-lead and organize this historical first-ever CLC Indigenous lobby day in collaboration with the CLC’s Anti-Racism and Human Rights Director Mojdeh Cox. This is important solidarity work and will continue until justice and equity is achieved.

The Canadian Labour Congress has released a must-read report on Islamophobia in the workplace. Islamophobia at Work: Challenges and Opportunities explores the rise of anti-Muslim attitudes and discrimination in Canada. It provides recommendations for employers, trade unions, and governments on how to address this pernicious phenomenon.

The report comes just weeks after the horrific terrorist attack at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Those attacks were a stark reminder of the urgency of addressing Islamophobia in our communities.

There has been a steady rise in hate crimes targeting Muslim communities in Canada over the past several years. In 2017, a young man consumed by hatred killed six men attending prayers at a Québec City mosque. His name was even cited by the New Zealand terrorist. 

That same year, reported hate crimes targeting Muslims rose by 151 percent across the country, which is alarming since many such crimes are often not reported due to a fear of backlash and reprisal. Meanwhile, members of far-right groups continue to mobilize online and offline, organizing anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rallies which further demonize these communities.

This report aims to address the impact of this harmful climate on Canadian workplaces with specific recommendations aimed at reinforcing the responsibility of employers to educate management and staff about legal obligations around human rights and religious accommodations. It further encourages governments to do more to support anti-racism awareness campaigns and develop strategies to address online hate. According to the report, trade unions must play an important role in championing fairness, equity and social justice for Muslims in Canada.

As a champion of the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, PIPSC contributed to the development of the report Building a Diverse and Inclusive Public Service, which makes recommendations to identify and address barriers to racialized people joining and advancing in the public service, and contributing their talents to serve Canadians. We continue to encourage the Treasury Board Secretariat to implement each of these recommendations as soon as possible.

We at PIPSC join the collective labour movement in denouncing all Islamophobia and racism and encourage our members to take part in anti-harassment and inclusiveness initiatives in their workplaces. We are now at the bargaining table fighting for stronger anti-harassment measures to ensure the public service is a safe and healthy workplace for everyone.

If you have any questions, please contact the Human Rights Committee, chrd-cdpd@pipsc.ca.

08 March 2019

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY traces back to the 1900s, rising from the labour movements in North America and Europe, signaling a growing movement for women to participate equally in society. The United Nations recognized 1975 as International Women's Year and began celebrating International Women's Day on March 8, later adopting a resolution designating March 8 as International Women's Day.

It is an opportunity to celebrate the progress made to achieve gender equality and women's empowerment and to reflect on the improvements made and strive for momentum towards gender equality worldwide. It is a day to recognize the extraordinary acts of women and to stand together, as a united force, to advance gender equality around the world.

This year's theme for calls for action, to harness the power of technology to create a more equal world. Innovation and technology represent opportunities, but trends show a growing gender digital divide and women are under-represented in the field of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and design (STEM). It is a barrier to developing and influencing gender-responsive innovations and achieve transformative gains. It is imperative to remove the barriers facing women in STEM, so new ideas and solutions will be unleashed that will transform our society and strengthen our economy.

PIPSC invites members to celebrate, recognize and acknowledge the achievements of women in their life!

#IWD2019 #WomensDay #InnovateForChange #BalanceforBetter #WIKI4WOMEN

Status of Women Canada
https://cfc-swc.gc.ca/commemoration/iwd-jif/theme-en.html

United Nations - International Women’s Day
http://www.un.org/en/events/womensday/index.shtml

UNESCO - Priority Gender Equality
https://en.unesco.org/genderequality

PIPSC 2019 Human Rights and Diversity Committee
Email chrd-cdpd@pipsc.ca

This year to mark International Women’s Day, we’re asking members like you to share your family leave story.

How did family leave help or hinder you?

Did it even exist when you needed it?

Sharing your experience helps your bargaining team and shows the employer just how much you value and depend on family leave.

SHARE YOUR STORY

In 2001, President Debi Daviau had to fight hard for her right to parental leave.

Her third baby, Jesse, was on the way when her employer refused to implement new legislation that extended parental leave top-up pay from six to twelve months as provided for in the collective agreement.

Despite continued efforts, the compensation advisor was refusing to implement the change. Finally, President Daviau convinced her colleagues in the Employment Insurance Branch of then HRDC to write a briefing note that her ADM used to ensure 12 months of top-up parental leave pay for herself and every other expecting parent in the department!

This fight kick-started President Daviau’s involvement in our union.

No one should have to fight to take care of their family.

We all expect the federal government to be a model employer and ensure employees are able to give their best in the workplace and to their families

It’s time for your employer to do better. You deserve improved family leave. Tell us about your experience.

Learn more about our current round of negotiations and the Do Better Campaign here: 
https://pipsc.ca/dobetter

The results of the 2018 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) are in and, as with last year’s results, offer food for thought on the government’s progress (or lack of it) in some key areas of concern to PIPSC members.

Harassment in the workplace

While in previous years (2017 and 2014) 18% and 19% of respondents respectively reported being a victim of harassment, in 2018 only 15% reported the same. However, since the reporting period covered in the most recent survey was changed from two years to one, these results are not comparable.

More tellingly, perhaps, satisfaction with how harassment is dealt with in departments is viewed positively by only 48% of respondents to the PSES.

The survey also reveals significant differences based on gender. Women reported experiencing harassment on the job in the last year at a rate 3% higher than men. Respondents who were gender diverse reported experiencing harassment at a rate of 30% compared to 13% for men and 16% for women. 

Employees in the Scientific and Professional Category (which includes most PIPSC members) reported levels of harassment slightly less (2% in 2018) than the public service generally as well as slightly less satisfaction (1%) with how management is addressing it.

As a result, the latest survey data give greater urgency to our bargaining demands that members deserve stronger anti-harassment protections. In short, the government can Do Better.

Psychological wellness

Data on psychological wellness, on the other hand, show some signs of improvement. Compared to 2017 when only 56% of respondents described public service workplaces as healthy, 59% now do.

Moreover, when it comes to raising awareness of mental health in the workplace, 71% of respondents believe their department is doing a good job compared to 67% a year ago.

It is still too soon to say whether or not this is due to the Mental Health Strategy launched two years ago.

Phoenix

To no one’s surprise, the Phoenix pay system remains a grave concern. Seventy percent of respondents to the PSES said they were negatively impacted by it in the past year, an increase of 3% from 2017. Among Professional and Scientific Employees the increase is even greater – 5% – from 62% in 2017 to 67% in 2018.

Moreover, satisfaction with how departments and the pay centre handle issues has remained unchanged and is very low. Only 36% of respondents overall indicate they are satisfied with the assistance they received from their department or agency in resolving their pay issues.

Missing regular pay remained unchanged, with 10% of Professional and Scientific Employees reporting missed pay in both 2017 and 2018.

While there have been some improvements, it seems absurd to consider them a cause to celebrate in a year when 29% of Professional and Scientific Employees were underpaid and 30% received incorrect acting or overtime pay.

The sooner we get a new working pay system the better.

On February 27, 2019, we encourage PIPSC members to take a stand against bullying by wearing pink. Bullying usually involves repeated incidents or a pattern of behaviour that is intended to intimidate, offend, degrade or humiliate a particular person or group of people. Bullying can result in serious emotional problems, including anxiety, low self-esteem, or depression, in addition to possible mental and physical traumas.

Stand up against bullying in all its forms and help protect your workplace each and every day by promoting respect, civility and diversity and inclusion.

Learn techniques to protect yourself against bullying. PIPSC has developed a practical Guide on Bullying and Violence in the Workplace.

If you experience or witness workplace bullying please report it to your steward.

Your steward is your first line of defense. Visit the website to find your steward and learn what they can do for you.

In solidarity,

Debi Daviau, President
Waheed Khan, Champion, Employment Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Director Esnard is the first black woman elected to the PIPSC Board of Directors. She is passionate about equality, representation and the power of PIPSC. It is this commitment to improved representation in our union that motivated her to run and win in the 2018 PIPSC election.

The inclusion of underrepresented groups in the PIPSC leadership structure ensures that decisions, strategies, projects and member engagement reflect the needs of all members.

Better representation makes our union stronger.

Director Esnard’s charitable contributions, education and work as an actor in film and Broadway are certain to benefit our collective goals. She has demonstrated her commitment to standing up for members as a steward and NUREG Vice President.

We celebrate her election as a part of Black History month to draw attention specifically to the contributions black people continue to make to the Institute as well as to signal clearly that this union values the contributions of all members and will continue to work toward improved representation in leadership roles. Because, we’re Better Together!