June 18, 2009
Negotiations with Treasury Board
PSAC Bargaining Units with Treasury Board (PA, SV, TC, EB, FB)
PSAC defends members' rights in Treasury Board classification review
PSAC participated in a historic first step toward long-awaited classification reform in the federal public service last fall. In November, PSAC and Treasury Board negotiated a collective agreement that includes a commitment by the employer to engage in a process of meaningful consultation with the union on occupational group structure, beginning with the Program and Administrative Services (PA) bargaining unit.
This group includes almost 70,000 employees responsible for program administration, information services, communications, secretarial services, office equipment, administrative services, welfare programs, clerical functions and data processing.
As we all know, this commitment to reform from the employer is years overdue. Classification standards in the federal government are over 40 years old and do not reflect the important services we deliver to Canadians on a daily basis.
PSAC acted quickly to hold the government to its commitment and met with Treasury Board on May 19, 2009 to begin the classification review process.
However, given the sheer number of employees and different classifications, the reform process is complex and will take time. The language in our collective agreement with Treasury Board contemplates that the initial stage of reform – a review of the occupational group structure in the PA group – could take up to two years. The process will then move to the other employee groups. Throughout all of this, PSAC will be working with Treasury Board to develop fair and accurate classification standards.
As we move through this process, PSAC will be drawing on the expertise of union members in the workplace, and we expect membership involvement to increase as things unfold. Keep an eye on the PSAC website at psac-afpc.com for regular updates about classification reform and what it will mean for PSAC members who work in the federal public sector.
Date Modified : 2010/01/29
