(Posted June 5, 2008)

Following mediation of statement of duties grievances, a revised work description for CFIA’s Fair Labelling Practices and Food Safety Inspectors has been re-evaluated and resulted in a reclassification from an EG-03 to an EG-04 level.

The 2002 acting pay grievances, which were filed in conjunction with the work description grievances, are currently at the final level and will be scheduled for a final level hearing.

The Agriculture Union will argue that there is an entitlement to acting pay retroactive to 1997.

We are aware of situations of members who performed the duties of Fair Labelling Practices and Food Safety Inspectors for a period between 2002 and the date of the decision and have not been paid retroactivity for the time they perform those duties.  New acting pay grievances should only be filed by those members.

For proper wording of these grievances, please refer to this topic in our KeyInfo workplace information kit by clicking HERE.

Please note that our efforts around the acting pay issue should not delay the implementation of all other parts of employer’s reclassification announcement.

(Posted June 4, 2008)

The Agriculture Union is urging our members who are CFIA Meat Inspectors and who recently received notification of a long-delayed reclassification to EG-03 to grieve the fact that the employer has failed to account for service between April 1997 and June 2000 in calculating lump-sum payments and increment level.

Note that the deadline to file a grievance in order to protect your interests is June 13, 2008.

These members were treated differently than the larger number of their co-workers who were reclassified as EG-03s on June 30, 2000. Those EGs have benefited from work performed between April 1997 to June 2000 to calculate increment and lump-sum-differential payment in lieu of back pay.

The recently reclassified EGs had been expecting similar compensation, only to discover that CFIA is not applying the pay regulation consistently. Through ignorance or design, the employer refuses to acknowledge and include the April 1997 to June 2000 period in calculating increment level and lump-sum payment.

We have previously advised that the affected members hold off on filing grievances as a sign of the Agriculture Union’s good faith during discussions with the employer.

The discussions have proven fruitless, and with timeliness as an issue, it is critical that affected members protect themselves by immediately filing grievances. We are recommending the following language:

          I file this grievance following the employer’s decision not to apply the pay regulation this is contrary to

         article 62 – Pay administration of my collective agreement..

Corrective action:

          That my increment level be recalculated to reflect the period worked between 1997 and 2000. That my

         lump sum payment be calculated based on the period worked between 1997 and 2000 and also based

         on my classification level.