USGE is getting just a little tired with the RCMP SRR Program slamming the Categories of Employees Project and demoralizing public service employees who work for the organization. As in its 1995 article entitled “Express Lane to Civilianization” the latest broadcast entitled “The recurring nightmare of Category of Employees” is full of inaccuracies and misinformation.
First of all, the Public Service Commission is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the integrity of staffing processes within Government. It has every right to comment on positions that should be staffed under the Public Service Employment Act and make recommendations to the Commissioner.
The statement that “The SRR Program and management had this project down to 202 positions” is totally inaccurate. USGE was fully involved with the COE project from the beginning. The 202 positions referred to were only a small portion of positions that were to be reviewed in a second phase of the project and all were classification matched to positions within PSAC bargaining units.
There are hundreds of civilian member positions that are currently classification matched to other positions within other bargaining units that need to be reviewed and placed under the Public Service Employment Act.
The comment that detachment clerks should be reviewed is ludicrous. Detachment clerks provide administrative support to operational policing. Clearly the RCMP Act states these positions are to be hired under the Public Service Employment Act and there is absolutely no need to review them under this process.
In 1995 many Regular Member positions where incumbents were performing strictly administrative duties were reclassified to either the CM or PS category. Since that time, there has been a classification creep backwards. When we asked why, one police officer responded and said “It’s quite clear; we don’t want to perform operational duties for 35 years”! Is it the duty of a police officer to provide policing services or is it the duty of a police officer to provide administrative duties? We think the answer to that question should be crystal clear. So while this Broadcast speaks to “choice”, maybe those individuals who no longer want to be police officers should choose another career!
As frustrating as the COE Project has been for USGE, we will continue to work with the organization to simplify the categories. We will continue to strive to do what is right – not only for our members but for the organization as a whole. We urge the SRRs to do the same and not publish misinformation throughout the whole of the organization that causes additional clashes between categories.