News - June 2010                    Previous Month         Following Month

Headlines of the current month's news items are listed immediately below. Click on the headline of your choice to see the entire text of the article.

AAFC GL Review – Full GL participation in questionnaire process essential

AAFC EG Review Update – Grievance Committee hearings conclude

Our May ‘Rand’ sign-up contest winner…

AAFC GL Review – Full GL participation in questionnaire process essential

(Posted June 25, 2010)

Who better knows your job than you do? That has always been the premise underlying the lengthy GL Review at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

As this is written, the employer is organizing worksite meetings across the country to obtain feedback from each GL on their current job duties. This input, gathered through a questionnaire approved by both AAFC and the Agriculture Union, will be used to match those actual functions to the existing classification models.

Many have noted that the questionnaire is in many respects similar to one circulated by the employer in 2005. This has had the unfortunate effect of creating some considerable cynicism, leading some GLs to decline to participate fully in the current worksite consultation sessions.

We can understand this reaction. The Agriculture Union has itself often been frustrated by the employer’s actions (or lack of them) on the seemingly endless GL Review. As recently as the beginning of this year, we in fact urged our GL members not to rush to complete the questionnaire as AAFC had failed to consult us on either the content or distribution process prior to its launch.

So, what has changed? Well, after we took management to task, the employer agreed to what has become a truly collaborative consultation. A joint AAFC-Agriculture Union working committee was put in place and has met frequently over the intervening months to ensure the current outreach to GLs effectively achieves its important goals.

Now, rather than simply distribute the questionnaire, the above-mentioned worksite meetings have been put in place. AAFC classification and human resources staff, along with the Agriculture Union Local President and Regional Vice-President, are on hand at these sessions to answer questions about both the overall consultation process and the specific content of the current questionnaire.

Accurate and complete work activity information is essential to the completion and success of the GL Review. Should any GL refuse to participate or only partially fill-out their questionnaire, it will be completed by a supervisor or other management representative. And, does management really understand your daily work on the job better than you do?

So, for their own good, we urge all our GL members to trust this redesigned consultation process and take the opportunity to completely and accurately provide all the information sought in the questionnaire.

It has unquestionably been a long road. And, yes, our confidence in the GL Review process and its outcome has been shaken on more than one occasion. However, having come this far, with the end now in sight, it would indeed be a shame for any of our GL members to effectively sabotage their own career futures by making less than full use of this new process.

AAFC EG Review Update – Grievance Committee hearings conclude

(Posted June 17, 2010)

After almost 18 months of presenting approximately two hundred Statement of Duties and Acting Pay grievances filed by our members at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the EG Grievance Committee hearings have concluded.

The Department has indicated that by the end of July 2010, individual letters will be issued for the grievances presented to the EG Grievance Committees, advising them of the Committees’ decision. The Agriculture Union will be provided with a copy of those responses and will then undertake a review of all the grievances to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to pursue them to a final level hearing before the Assistant Deputy Minister - Human Resources. Grievors will be advised of our decision.

Any outstanding grievances, and those identified with sufficient evidence to pursue, will be scheduled for a hearing with the ADM-HR.

The Department has advised that where the Statement of Duties grievances have been allowed or partially allowed, and where the union has determined that no further arguments will be presented, amended Work Descriptions will be forwarded to the classification section for a review and formal evaluation. Employees will be advised of the decision as to whether or not the changes affect the group and level of the position.

Those grievances that were filed on Effective Date/Acting Pay only (decisions were rendered last fall), and that were allowed, will be implemented by the Department. Those grievances that were denied will be reviewed by the Agriculture Union to determine whether there are grounds to pursue further and the grievors will be advised of our decision.

Our May ‘Rand’ sign-up contest winner…

(Posted June 16, 2010)

Congratulations to Vivian Tsang! Vivian is the latest monthly winner in our 2010 contest to sign up ‘Rands’, dues-paying co-workers who, for one reason or another, have yet to sign a union card.

Vivian is a newly-signed-up member of Local 23, which represents our Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada and Canadian Grain Commission members in Edmonton, Alberta.

Welcome aboard, Vivian!