The PSAC/UTE bargaining team met with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) on October 23-25 to continue negotiations for a new collective agreement. While the team raised a number of key issues like job security, scheduling protections, and improving working conditions in call centres, the employer did not move to resolve them.

Job Security

The team tabled proposals concerning the Workforce Adjustment Appendix (WFA) in our collective agreement. Our WFA proposals would enhance job and income security for employees, and would ensure greater options for any employees that are declared surplus in the future. The team also proposed changes that would minimize favouritism and provide for recognition of employees’ years of service with the Agency. 

Hours of Work

Presently, CRA employees fill thousands of evening shifts, with new requests for evening and/or weekend work being submitted to the Union by the Agency on a monthly basis. Moreover, the employer indicated in bargaining that as a result of service renewal, they are interested in increasing evening shifts. In response, the bargaining team made it clear to management that the collective agreement must include new protections around the scheduling and assigning of hours of work.

Call Centres

The team had considerable discussion concerning the terrible working conditions in CRA call centres across the country, and the need for new rights for those working in those centres.

The bargaining team is scheduled to return to the table the first week of December. PSAC and UTE are calling on the CRA to return to the table in December ready to address these key issues.

Be sure to go to ute-sei.org and psacunion.ca for more information and to subscribe for regular updates. Should you have any questions, please contact your UTE Local President.