Updates

Local members from Montée St-François have decided to wear camouflage pants in support of their bargaining team and to blow the whistle on the increased risk to public safety that has been caused by way too many cuts to CSC.

Every public service worker has the right to freedom of expression and other civil and political rights which are enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Constitutional rights of every public service worker are also a central tenet of the Public Service Employment Act.

As a citizen who is a public service worker, you have the right, protected by the Canadian Charter, to engage in political activity outside of work.

USGE Regional Vice Presidents Jackie Oswald and Frank Janz from the Prairie Region travelled over 1,800 kilometers to visit USGE members in Manitoba. During their trip they visited eight RCMP detachments, many of which are located in more rural parts of the province.

In the wake of the release of over one hundred recommendations from Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Union of Solicitor General Employees commends the Commission for its extraordinary and groundbreaking work.

The Union of Solicitor General Employees (USGE) National office has been receiving a substantial number of emails and calls from Regional Vice Presidents (RVPs) and members concerned about the Correctional Services of Canada’s (CSC) recent strategy of designating employees working in sentence management and other employee groups as impacted and vulnerable but not deemed affected as per the Collective Agreement.

Correctional Service Canada (CSC) employees who work in Canada’s penitentiaries every day with offenders were not surprised by many of the findings in this week’s report from the Auditor general. Major changes to federal legislation over the last decade, combined with significant budget cuts to CSC, have led to more offenders being incarcerated longer.

Tuesday’s federal budget was a mixed bag for USGE members. The federal government signaled its intention to follow through with its plan to make significant changes to the federal public service’s sick leave program, regardless of the outcome of the collective bargaining process.

While there have been some delays in meeting the previously established timelines, significant progress has been made over the last several months. Consultation with divisional management and USGE representatives has been very positive with helpful feedback.

Public safety is clearly on the minds of Canadians. And for good reason, given recent domestic and international events. So, it perhaps comes as no surprise that the federal government would introduce the possibility of keeping some of Canada’s most egregious offenders in jail – for good.