Mr. Doug Mason
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
Audit, Financial and Scientific Group President

Dear Doug:

I am writing in response to your correspondence received September 7, 2017. I would first like to thank you for following up on our conversation last May. You raised important and relevant points.

I acknowledge the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada – Audit, Financial and Scientific (PIPSC-AFS) bargaining unit’s concerns regarding the Agency’s classification standards that are used to assess AFS jobs.

We have achieved a major success in our challenge to CRA's arbitrary plans to force a thousand of our AFS members in the GTA to relocate. Due to the efforts of our stewards and members, we were notified on August 15th that CRA intends to go back to their objectives and consult with us on how to achieve those objectives.

For Immediate Release

CRA GTA modernisation plan risks harming staff and service, says PIPSC

Ottawa, August 2, 2017 – Canada Revenue Agency’s plan to centre the expertise of its Greater Toronto Area (GTA) operations within four different locations risks harming staff recruitment and retention as well as taxpayer services, says the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC).

In the May 24, 2017 communiqué, the AFS Group provided information concerning the settlement reached on May 9, 2017, in regard to the volunteer to personal day grievances.

The purpose of the present communiqué is to provide supplemental information to the May 24, 2017 communiqué.

Grievors

Your AFS Negotiation Team requested meeting dates as soon as possible following our last bargaining session held May 9-12.  On July 14th, CRA agreed to another bargaining session on September 19-21.  We look forward to resuming negotiations with the aim to conclude a collective agreement.

As previously communicated, we are continuing to pursue a Memorandum of Agreement that will commit the Agency to long overdue classification reform.  The work of our AFS members is evaluated on a discriminatory decades old classification system. It is time for this to change.

GTA Service Modernization

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.

Dear AFS Members,

We have met with our AFS subgroup and CS zone presidents and they overwhelmingly support our continuing to fight for meaningful classification reform. We have a clear mandate in going forward.

Our AFS Bargaining Team is again requesting new bargaining dates from CRA to negotiate the two remaining issues still outstanding at the bargaining table, classification reform and pay. We would like to hold these meetings as soon as possible.

In solidarity,

AFS Bargaining Team