Updates

During this meeting, the group approved Terms of Reference, an Action Plan as well as a draft Strategy for what will ultimately be a five year project. USGE is the only public service bargaining agent representative on this committee, a relatively tight-knit group that will be dealing with heavy meeting schedules and tight response deadlines. 

In an recent InfoBulletin, François Guimont, Deputy Minister and Robin Kers, USGE LRO, co-chairs of the National Labour Management Consultation Committee at PSC, issued a joint statement where the importance of employee involvement as representatives in occupational health and safety and union activities was recognized and encouraged. 

USGE is pleased to announce that Terms of Reference for the Administrative Support Positions Review (ASPR) have been signed. The committee is now prepared to resume the consultation process.

The Harper Government’s mantra seems to be more of “do as I say, not as I do” when it comes to transparency, how it informs the Canadian public and how it chooses to work with the federal public service unions. The latest case in point is the omnibus budget bill, Bill C-4. 

The following is a letter sent by John Edmunds to our Locals, explaining the Union’s right to chose its own OHS representatives.

As was indicated in a previous article, the Administrative Support Positions Review (ASPR) was developed to examine positions, mainly within Federal Policing, to determine whether the work descriptions were complete and current and to develop new generic work descriptions that would be applicable throughout the Force.

Your bargaining team went back to the bargaining table on December 19 with the goal of concluding a fair collective agreement for employees at CSIS. We soon discovered that the employer is either unwilling or does not have the mandate to move on the key outstanding issues at the table, including Workforce Adjustment (WFA).

Meetings between the bargaining team and the employer were held on November 7 and 8 in Ottawa. Significant progress was made on a number of issues and the team was able to sign off on a number of items.

The Correctional Service of Canada has announced that it will be moving forward with its plan to cluster food services within its penitentiaries. The rationale for this move is based on apparent cost-savings. The USGE is not convinced that these perceived savings can make up for the negative impact this move will have on the offender population.

As was indicated in a previous web article, included in the current cuts announced as a result of the Conservative Government’s Deficit Reduction Action Plan was an increase in the number of offenders CSC Parole Officers must supervise.