News - December 2005           Previous Month         Following Month

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EO Committee co-sponsors Human Rights Forum in Vancouver

Way clear to move ahead on CFIA PM Review

Take full opportunity of employer sessions

on new Public Service Employment Act

Update - EG Work Description Review at AAFC

EO Committee co-sponsors Human Rights Forum in Vancouver

(Posted December 6, 2006)

British Columbia members of the Agriculture Union Equal Opportunities Committee are co-sponsoring a December 15 Human Rights Forum in Vancouver.

The evening is being organized jointly with the BC Region of our bargaining agent - the Public Service Alliance of Canada. In addition to the annual December 15 recognition of Human Rights Day, the event will also mark and/or celebrate a number of other important human rights days in December:

          • World AIDS Day;

          • International Day for the Abolition of Slavery;

          • International Day for Disabled Persons;

          • National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence against Women; and

          • International Migrants' Day.

This celebration of human right is being held at the Maritime Labour Centre - 1880 Triumph Street , Vancouver from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The event will be opened by a Burrard Inlet Elder, a guest of Agriculture Union member Jeanna Louie.

A variety of human rights activists have been invited to speak. While the event itself is free and open to all, a dinner is also being planned at a per person cost of $12.

For further information about the event, or to purchase tickets, Agriculture Union members in the greater Vancouver area are invited to contact Jennie Chu, Agriculture Union Regional Equal Opportunities Representative, either at (778) 230-3987, or at jenniemchu@hotmail.com.

Way clear to move ahead on CFIA PM Review

(Posted December 4, 2006)

The review involving the reclassification of EG-03 Retail Food Inspectors employed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is now finally in a position to move ahead.

The Agriculture Union and the employer have been reluctant to proceed with this file until the PI review had been dealt with.

We have asked the Public Service Labor Relations Board for an early date in the new year to proceed with the PM Review. We will keep our members updated as we receive new information.

Take full opportunity of employer sessions on new Public Service Employment Act

(Posted December 2, 2005)

December brings a 'Christmas present' for all federal public service workers - a newly-amended Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) is scheduled to come into effect.

The extensively revised PSEA is itself part and parcel of the Public Service Modernization Act. The PSMA is a so-called ' omnibus' bill that amended and created a number of pieces of legislation, including the PSEA, the Public Service Labour Relations Act (PSLRA) and the Financial Administration Act (FAA).

These changes to federal government human resources management and labour relations are the most widespread and significant since collective bargaining was first enacted in the federal public service in the mid-1960s.

A number of government central agencies and Departments - including the Public Service Commission are holding information sessions across the country to prepare employees for these major changes.

The Agricultural Union strongly advises our members impacted by these changes to contact their closest PSAC Regional Office, their employer's human resources staff, the local Public Service Commission office or the Canada School of Public Service to learn about the date, place and time of information sessions.

We also strongly urge that Locals consult with their managers to ensure that interested members can attend these sessions without loss of pay.

Update - EG Work Description Review at AAFC

(Posted December 1, 2005)

Our EG members working for AAFC in the Prairie Region received their updated work descriptions and classification group and level in October.

A number of questions have been raised. These are being addressed with supervisors and research managers through an informal dispute resolution process.

However, to protect time limits, members who believe that their work descriptions are inaccurate have filed Statement of Duties grievances under Article 57 of the Technical Services collective agreement.

In addition, some technicians have also filed Acting Pay grievances where they are performing duties that are no longer part of their work description and that they believe should be classified at a higher level.

The Classification Review Committee will re-evaluate positions based on this new information provided through the informal process.

The Department is also in the midst of completing Phase II of the EG Work Description Review, covering the rest of the country. The Phase II process is similar to that followed in Phase I, whereby supervisors, managers and employees are given training on the work description writing tool developed over the past few years.

Supervisors must then write the work description, with input from the employee. It is then verified by the research manager. Once completed, it is forwarded to a Classification Review Committee for evaluation. Where the work has not been adequately described, or should questions arise, on-site reviews and interviews will be conducted by members of this Committee.

As this process may result in the work description being changed, the Department has assured us that employees will be informed and an explanation will be given as to why these changes were made. The fact that this was unfortunately not done in the Prairie review led, as noted above, to the raising of many questions about the process.

The Agriculture Union and the Department have agreed that should there remain outstanding issues once employees have completed the informal process, the grievances will nonetheless be forwarded and heard at the final step in the grievance procedure.

Given that resources are currently being dedicated to ensuring that all EG's within the Department receive a current and accurate work description, we have agreed not proceed to the final level until April 1, 2006.

Further updates will be provided as new information becomes available.