The Institute’s Legacy Foundation would like to remind you that the deadline to submit a scholarship application is July 12, 2019.

In 2019, the Foundation will award the following scholarships:

• one $5,000 scholarship
• twenty-seven $1,500 scholarships
• three $1,000 scholarships
• four $750 scholarships
• one $500 scholarship

Eligibility

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 2019 in a full-time post-secondary program at an educational institution (including cégep) in Canada or outside Canada.

Evaluation

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:

1. Academic achievement (most recent report card or transcript of marks).

1. Summary of candidate’s leadership ability and community service involvement, including a minimum of 2 letters of reference (e.g. student council, tutoring, coach or assistant coach, other volunteer activities).
2. Essay of 750-1000 words on "professionalism". A suggested topic is "What does it mean to be a professional in your career?" but other specific topics on professionalism are welcomed. Essays will be judged on content, grammar, spelling, organization and presentation.
3. Typed statement by the candidate outlining future education and career goals and indicating why the candidate deserves a scholarship. This statement will be evaluated on content, grammar, spelling, organization and presentation of goals.

More information can be obtained at www.pipsc.ca/legacy or by email scholarship@pipsc.ca.

Application Procedure

A complete application must include:

• A copy of the official transcript of marks from the learning institution most recently attended.
• A statement outlining future education and career goals and indicating why the candidate deserves a scholarship.
• A statement about the candidate’s leadership abilities and community service involvement with supporting evidence, including a minimum of 2 reference letters.
• A 750-1000 word essay on professionalism.

Please submit the scholarship application online [ https://pipsc.smapply.io ]. All applicants, successful or otherwise, will be notified by the Evaluation Committee. Awards will be applicable to the academic year commencing in September 2019.

The successful candidates will be notified by mid-September 2019. 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.

Labour leaders from across the country gathered in Winnipeg last week for the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Canadian Council and to mark the 100^th anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike.

Vice-President Norma Domey attended representing PIPSC. VP Domey delivered a presentation reporting back on the Canadian Labour delegation to the UN Commission on the Status of Women in March.

The over 35,000 Winnipeg public and private workers who united to send a clear message to employers and to governments in May 1919, were acknowledged and celebrated! They went on strike for six weeks in order to win better wages and the right to collective bargaining.

To honour this powerful legacy of the Canadian labour movement, the CLC premiered its new film Stand!. Stand! tells the story of the Winnipeg 1919 strike and how workers overcame cultural and gender division to organize and win together – some relevant lessons for today’s struggles.

Take a moment and enjoy the trailer of this important Canadian film.

Launch of new Federal Public Service Workplace Accommodations Study, May 6 to 24, 2019

Dear colleagues,

The Office of Public Service Accessibility at Treasury Board Secretariat is conducting a study of existing workplace accommodation practices in the federal public service. Its objective is to identify common experiences, best practices and opportunities to remove barriers and improve workplace accessibility. Information gathered from this study will provide a baseline that can be used to measure progress as improvements are delivered over time.

The first phase of this study is a survey intended for current federal public servants who requested a workplace accommodation for themselves or for one of their employees in the past 3 years. Between May 6 and May 24, employees and supervisors can provide their comments directly through this online survey or review the questions in an accessible Word format and respond by email at accessibility.accessibilite@tbs-sct.gc.ca. Links to the online survey and accessible versions are available on the OPSA GCPedia page, using a Federal Government computer. If you are not able to use the link, you can also use the MS Word version of the survey (attached) and send your completed survey by email to accessibility.accessibilite@tbs-sct.gc.ca

The PIPSC Human Rights and Diversity Committee (HRDC) is committed to helping build awareness about accessibility issues and promoting an inclusive and welcoming work environment where all public servants can thrive. We encourage all PIPSC members to participate in this study. Please do not hesitate to contact me or any member of the HR&DC if you have any questions or comments.

In solidarity,

Waheed Khan

Chair, HRDC

Director, NCR

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.

Better together.

Debi Daviau
President

On May 15, 1919, over 35,000 Winnipeg public and private workers united to send a clear message to employers and to governments: they would strike in order to win better wages and the right to collective bargaining.

Workers overcame cultural and gender divisions to organize and effectively shut down the entire city of Winnipeg for six weeks while maintaining key services. Women were at the forefront – among the first workers to walk off the job.

While the strike was eventually broken and many of its leaders were imprisoned or deported, it left a legacy of labour law reforms that redefined fair and safe work across the country.

We have a far stronger social safety net than those workers could have ever dreamed of. We have universal health care, minimum wages, old age pensions, and employment insurance. We have maternity leave, weekends, health and safety standards, due in part to their sacrifices. 

With a changing economic landscape that continues to threaten certain industries and create whole new ones, the key lesson from the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike must be for workers to overcome fear and division to unionize and safeguard their rights.

Canada’s unions are proud of the contributions they have made to raise the bar for everyone. We are committed to advocating on behalf of all working families – for universal pharmacare, pay equity, better pensions, safer workplaces, and much more.

But if history has taught us anything, it’s that we need every worker to stand up and be counted.

Read more from the Canadian Labour Congress as published in the Winnipeg Free Press and in the Toronto Star.

The United Nation’s General Assembly voted in 1993 to make May 15 an annual celebration of the International Day of Families. This day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase the knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families.

In our own work at PIPSC, we are fighting for improved family leave at the central bargaining table that allows you to give your best at work and in your family.

We celebrate all the diverse family compositions that make our society so rich. At the central bargaining table we are specifically advocating for equitable leave for adoptive parents along with gender-neutral language that includes same-sex parents and non-binary parents. 

President Debi Daviau became a union activist through her own personal fight for family leave. Read more about her experience and our work on family leave in President Daviau’s opinion piece published in the National Observer.

Show your support for improved family leave by participating in or hosting a Do Better action in your workplace in May.

Take action for Family Leave

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.

Better together,

Debi Daviau
President

At the 2018 Annual General Meeting, Resolution F-4 (Professionals Canada) was referred to the Board of Directors with direction to consult on the proposed project with the Advisory Council and impacted groups to provide a report to the 2019 AGM.

In response to the AGM decision, the Board and the Advisory Council created a representative sample of the two bodies for a deliberative process. In consultation with the Advisory Council, the Taskforce identified more than 150 issues and questions that needed to be examined. Through deliberations among its members with experts as needed, the Taskforce has examined the questions and comments of the Advisory Council and is proceeding to formulate recommendations to be contained in the final report.

The Taskforce is on track to present a preliminary report to the Board of Directors and the Advisory Council on August 10, 2019. The final report will be provided to the Board of Directors on October 26, 2019. The Taskforce report and a resolution with respect to the establishment of Professionals Canada will proceed to the AGM to fulfill the direction of the delegates to the 2018 AGM.

In order to ensure utmost transparency in these deliberations, the working documents of the Taskforce have been made available to all members with Portal access. These documents include questions generated by the Advisory Council and answered by the Taskforce and the data used by the Taskforce to support its answers.

To review these documents, please click here and log into your portal account. If you do not have a portal account, please click here to set up an account.

Today, we join with workers across the globe to celebrate the significant gains in labour rights that have been made throughout history. We honour the years of workers’ organizing, great risk and loss of life that won us all an 8-hour work day.

We draw strength from these historic wins and today’s global solidarity as we continue to fight for and defend the rights of workers.

In the Canadian context, it is more important than ever that as union members we work to defend and expand the public health care system. There is great need for a national pharmacare plan that will not only save millions of dollars but also ensure every person in Canada can access the medications they need to live.

We will continue to join our voices with the entire labour movement in calling for living wages, decent benefits and pensions, pay equity, free collective bargaining rights and workplace safety for all workers. Because we know we are better together!

Each year, on the National Day of Mourning, we commemorate those who lost their lives, were injured or became ill due to a work accident or occupational exposure.

Join PIPSC members and labour activists across the country in ceremonies this Sunday, April 28.

ATTEND A CEREMONY

We continue to call on employers and governments to do more to prevent such fatalities from happening in the first place. Take action with workers in Canada and email your labour minister to demand:

• proactive inspections, a robust enforcement regime, strong health and safety committees, and a systemic approach to prevention,
• a strong, effective workplace health and safety committee,
• ensure consequences when employers do not fulfill their duty to ensure a safe workplace, and
• call on your federal counterpart to reinstate the previous, stronger definition of danger in the Canada Labour Code. The right to refuse unsafe work is one of the three basic rights at work in Canada.

Send an email

Take the time to discuss occupational health and safety issues with your co-workers, as well as about how accidents could affect their lives.

Accidents happen so fast! Yet many are avoidable.