This week the federal government announced an important new phase of the NextGen HR and Pay project, the long-awaited successor to the failed Phoenix pay system.

Phoenix has caused untold pay errors that have left tens of thousands of PIPSC members underpaid, overpaid, or not paid at all.

This phase will see a pilot department take the first steps towards designing, building and testing a viable alternative to Phoenix, as well as towards understanding the level of transformation required for an eventual rollout to other federal departments and agencies. The pilot will be developed over a period of 6 months based on an exploratory phase timeline.

At the formal kick-off event held on October 14, Shared Services Canada and Treasury Board Secretariat senior executives jointly announced that they chose Canadian Heritage as the pilot department. Canadian Heritage employees will not have their pay impacted by this decision, as a parallel pay system will be used during testing.

Although this project may not have always progressed as quickly as we would have liked, PIPSC remains committed to staying engaged in the process.

“PIPSC members are more than ready to help contribute to this important project,” said President Debi Daviau.

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We are pleased to learn that the Government of Canada has reappointed Dr. Mona Nemer as the government’s Chief Science Advisor (CSA).

On September 10, PIPSC President Debi Daviau sent a letter to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry advocating for the reappointment of Dr. Nemer.

Read the letter

Public science plays a critical role in keeping people in Canada safe. It drives the innovation that sustains our economy and keeps our key industries globally competitive. The role of CSA in this regard, and in supporting our country’s scientific infrastructure and researchers, cannot be overstated.

We have an excellent working relationship with Dr. Nemer.

Her leadership and collaboration on the scientific integrity file have been instrumental in helping to embed scientific integrity within the federal government. This policy provides a framework for science-based decision-making in the federal government and ensures open public discussion of our members’ research.

The PIPSC Black Caucus is seeking volunteers to join the leadership team.

The Black Caucus will lead and implement strategies for combating anti-Black racism at PIPSC and with our employers by advising the Human Rights and Diversity Committee (HRDC) on issues and policies that directly relate to anti-Black racism. The caucus will identify and eliminate barriers to Black members’ success and create environments for members to reach their full potential.

The Black Caucus envisions an anti-racist PIPSC and anti-racist employers.

In August 2020, the PIPSC Human Rights and Diversity Committee (HRDC) announced the formation of the PIPSC Black Caucus under the leadership of Jennie Esnard, HRDC Chair, and Din Kamaldin, HRDC member.

Apply now

The Black Caucus welcomes Black PIPSC members from all communities to apply for the leadership team by September 21, 2020.

We’re seeking members who are ready to help the Black Caucus meet both its short and long-term goals. There are 4 available positions on the leadership team. The leadership team should be prepared to meet virtually regularly for the first couple of months, as applicable.

This is your opportunity to lead and implement policies and programs that support PIPSC’s Black members. You will have the opportunity to engage with anti-racist allies to build capacity in your union and workplace.

If you have any questions about applying for the leadership team, please contact Jennie Esnard and Din Kamaldin at Blackcaucus@pipsc.ca.

PIPSC President, Debi Daviau has reached out to all political leaders in New Brunswick to clarify their positions on issues that matter most to our members.

Read the letter

Several hundred PIPSC members live and work in New Brunswick. Our membership in the province includes Crown Prosecutors, Crown Counsel, Legal Aid Services employees, agrologists and agronomists, engineers, architects and land surveyors, as well as veterinarians and veterinary pathologists.

All who have continued to provide critical services to the people of New Brunswick during the COVID 19 crises. And many who have been on the front lines of the provincial and federal response to the pandemic.

President Daviau has asked each party to clarify what their position is on the following issues:

(1) If elected, what will your party do to ensure an effective, well-funded provincial public service continues to be in place in the years ahead?

(2) If elected, in light of ongoing health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, what will your party do to ensure the safety of our members returning to their regular work locations? And will your party support appropriate work-life balance accommodations for our members and their families given the continued uncertainty regarding what will constitute the “new normal” in the future?

(3) If elected, will your party ensure that our members receive fair compensation that is competitive with those of their counterparts across Canada? As you may know, public service professionals in New Brunswick are currently among the lowest paid in the country.

(4) With the move from a defined benefit pension plan to a shared risk pension plan, our members are now left with a retirement plan that delivers less and costs more. If elected, what will your party do to address this shortfall?

We are a non-partisan union and ready to collaborate with the next New Brunswick government to ensure that New Brunswickers continue to receive the excellent public services that they expect and depend on.

Many employees in the federal public sector are not aware of their entitlements relating to parental leave, family care and leave. These entitlements are in place to help employees with parental and caregiving responsibilities have a better work-life balance. Not knowing about their entitlements, however, means some employees don’t use these provisions.

Recognizing this issue, the Women in Science project team at PIPSC developed infographics depicting the general maternity, parental and family care leave entitlements, and return to work rights, available to federal public sector employees.

While the information in the infographics is almost exclusively from 5 collective agreements (RE, NR, SP, SH and AV) and Employment Insurance, most of the entitlements are common across different groups.

We hope that you will find the infographics to be a useful resource in helping you better understand and learn about your rights and entitlements as a parent and/or carer.

The Public Service Disability Insurance (DI) Plan will temporarily accept electronic forms and signatures for claims. 

To assist members, physicians and managers during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sun Life will temporarily accept all 4 DI claim forms with electronic signatures, rather than handwritten signatures, by email at disabilityclaims@sunlife.com.

To apply for DI Plan benefits, 4 forms must be completed and sent to Sun Life:

• Employee’s Statement
• Attending Physician’s Statement
• Employer’s Statement
• Compensation Advisor’s Statement

All 4 forms can be found on the Sun Life DI Plan website.

Temporary acceptance of Employer Statement forms from a more senior manager 

On a temporary basis, a member’s more senior manager may complete and submit the Employer Statement form, provided they indicate to Sun Life that they are doing so due to the unavailability of the employee’s direct manager. 

In these cases, the name of the unavailable direct manager should be indicated on the form, on a separate sheet of paper, or in the submission email.

If completion by a more senior manager is not an option, the member is asked to call Sun Life at 1-800-361-5875.

Members who are having difficulty getting their Attending Physician’s Statement completed should also be instructed to call Sun Life to discuss their situation.

As always, should you or your attending physician have any questions or concerns, please contact Sun Life at 1-800-361-5875.

Parents and caregivers are making tough decisions as September approaches. For PIPSC members in the federal public service, every situation will be unique depending on your department and your children’s school.

It is important that you speak directly with your manager about your personal situation. Together with your HR department they will advise you on the leave available to you for childcare if your children’s school is only opening part-time or if your children are enrolled in online classes.

If management and HR are not offering proactive advice and solutions in this stressful time, our consultation teams are available for you. Contact the consultation team president in your department: https://pipsc.ca/labour-relations/consultation. They will have the most up to date advice and are meeting regularly with your department to discuss these important issues.

As schools reopen there are a lot of unanswered questions like, what happens if there is a COVID-19 outbreak at the school? What happens if the school closes? What do I do if my child is ill? What happens when my leave runs out? What leave will be made available to me if I choose to keep my children home from school?

PIPSC is now seeking answers to these important questions. We are working at all levels, with unions representing workers in the federal public service, to ensure you have access to the leave you need. This is a top priority for our discussions with the Treasury Board and the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer.

We are working for temporary changes to your collective agreement to ensure that you’re able to weather the COVID-19 storm. We’re advocating for the continuation of the Leave Code 699 and more flexibility for your work schedule in order to give you the most appropriate, reasonable accommodation in your particular situation.

Many of our members who are parents and caregivers are choosing between taking care of their families and working. Women in the labour force have been set back nearly three decades. Safe and reliable childcare spots that workers can access now and as this crisis continues, along with safe and open public schools are the clear solution.

Our team is here to help if you do not get the support you need from your employer.

On August 12, the PIPSC Board of Directors met in a special session to discuss the resumption of in-person meetings of PIPSC members. After extensive discussion, the Board determined that all in-person member meetings will be suspended until the end of 2020.

The Board recognized the important role that in-person meetings play in the life of our union and the strong desire to resume such meetings at the earliest possible date. However, they also recognized that ensuring the health and safety of our members and staff was their highest priority.

The member meeting status webpage has been updated to reflect this change.

The Board of Directors continues to monitor the situation on an ongoing basis while preparing for the eventual resumption of in-person meetings, and will revisit the situation prior to the virtual Annual General Meeting on December 5, 2020. 

In the interim, constituent bodies are encouraged to continue to conduct their business virtually through the use of Zoom or other video/teleconference means.

On June 10, 2020, PIPSC Vice-President and Science Advisory Committee Chair Norma Domey led our mobilization efforts on #ShutDownAcademia and #shutdownSTEM, an initiative developed by a multi-identity, intersectional coalition of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) professionals and academics taking action for Black lives. 

That day, thousands of these professionals and academics across the world stopped working to engage in 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence in support of the fight against racism.

Vice-President Domey and the Science Advisory Committee then held an insightful conversation with science professionals across the country about being Black in Canada. She notably indicated that “We can no longer stand by in silence. Systemic racism must be actioned and called out on the spot. In this regard, allies like you matter. Canadians must eradicate racism together.”

PIPSC members can help win the fight against racism by taking a number of actions, including:

• pressing their elected leaders at all levels of government to be accountable for and act for the good of all citizens, not just a privileged few
• building bridges with individuals and families from different cultural communities
• teaching their children and grandchildren about this issue

Find out more about #ShutDownAcademia and #ShutDownSTEM.

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis public servants have worked hard for people across Canada. We delivered the CERB in record time, we worked tirelessly to get Canadians home and we continue to push to develop a vaccine.

We also took care of our children. Many of us worked late at night or very early in the morning while our children were asleep. Many of us volunteered outside of our normal roles to help out wherever we could.

75% of public servants have been able to work at full capacity throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

“Public servants have gone above and beyond in the face of this crisis,” said Debi Daviau, PIPSC President. “Working parents have been faced with full time childcare duties and balancing their current workloads. It is clear that safe and accessible childcare is key to a functioning economy.”

Across the country, working parents – especially women – have been forced to choose between their careers and taking care of their children. Since the start of the pandemic, participation of women in the labour force has been set back nearly three decades. Safe and reliable childcare spots that workers can access now and as this crisis continues, along with safe and open public schools are the clear solution. 

The public and private sector must develop flexible leave policies to help working parents equitably manage caregiving demands. PIPSC has joined calls to provide all people in Canada with access to better child care programs and basic income guarantees. Our members built the CERB and other emergency programs and we know the good they can do. 

Only 25% of public servants have needed to use the leave with pay Code 699, occasionally, in order to take care of children, quarantine or recover from COVID-19 or because of technical issues. In some cases, the code was used because tasks were put on hold or a particular job required self-isolation between shifts. 

According to the Treasury Board 76,804 employees used Code 699 between March 15 and May 31. This cost about 5% of the usual expenses for wages during that same time period, around $439 million.

These public servants were working and sometimes accessing the Code 699 leave. If these workers had stopped working completely and gone on CERB, as they would have been entitled to do, this would have cost $384 million. Savings would have been minimal as the federal government still has to deliver services for Canadians and back fill all of these roles. The negative long-term impact on public services and the economy would have been significant. 

It is appropriate that the federal government put the emphasis on maintaining a high functioning public service during this time of unprecedented crisis. PIPSC is working with the employer to ensure these processes are reasonable and fair. Until safe and reliable child care is available and schools are reopened, flexibility from the employer is required to get the job done.