On May 1, after more than two years of negotiations and historic strike action by PSAC members across the country, our EB bargaining team reached a tentative agreement for more than 1,100 members in the Education and Library Science (EB) group under Treasury Board. 

These are just a few of the gains included in the tentative agreement. A full explanation of the new agreement, and a copy of the new language, will be provided once it has been fully translated.  
 
The EB bargaining team recommends the ratification of the tentative agreement. 

EB Group wage increases  

PSAC negotiated wage increases totaling 12.6% compounded over the life of the agreement from 2021-2025 and retroactive to June 2021 when the previous contract expired. PSAC secured an additional fourth year in the agreement that protects workers from inflation (projected by the Bank of Canada to be 2.3% in 2024), as well as a pensionable $2,500 one-time lump sum payment representing 2.9% of salary for the average EB group member.

*wage adjustment of a minimum of 0.5% for all EB members 

With the exception of the sub-groups listed below, all EB members will receive a 0.5% pay line adjustment in the third year, as indicated above, for a compound wage increase of 12.6%.   

• EU: A market adjustment of 3% for all employees in Education Support. 

• LS: A market adjustment of 1% for all employees in Library Science. 

Other improvements to the EB collective agreement: 

• New Specialist Indigenous Language Allowance: A teacher employed at Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) who is qualified and assigned to teach an Indigenous language (in Tyendinaga, Ontario; Six Nations of the Grand River, Ontario; and, Cold Lake First Nations, Alberta) will receive an allowance of $1,015 per annum. 
• New Allowance for Early Childhood Educators (ECE) of $3,500 annually. 
• Corrective Service Duty Specific Allowance increase from $2,000 to $2,140. 
• Effective January 1, 2024, implement national rates of pay for 10-month principals, vice-principals and teachers (ED-EST) as well as teacher’s aides (EU)  
• 12-month teachers: recognition of years of teaching experience, effective July 1, 2023. 
• Improvements to the process of applying for education leave without pay and career development. 

Common Issues settlement  

PSAC also reached a settlement with Treasury Board regarding common issues that apply to all members in the PA, SV, TC, and EB groups. Some of the key improvements include:   

New and improved remote work language  

PSAC members will now be protected from arbitrary decisions about remote work. We have negotiated language in a letter of agreement that requires managers to assess remote work requests individually, not by group, and provide written responses that will allow members and PSAC to hold the employer accountable to equitable and fair decision-making on remote work.   Having all remote work requests reviewed on an individual basis will prevent future "one size fits all" type mandates like the government announced in December last year. 
 
That means employee rights around remote work arrangements will be protected through a grievance process, and grievances that are not settled prior to the final step of the grievance process can be referred to a new joint union-management panel for review in each department to address issues related to the employer’s application of the remote work directive in the workplace. 
 
PSAC and Treasury Board have also agreed to create a joint committee to review and update the telework policy for the government last updated in 2020 – before the pandemic began. 

Safer and more inclusive workplaces 

Everyone in the federal government can benefit from anti-racism and discrimination training. That’s why we’ve reached an agreement to create a joint committee to review the existing training courses related to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion, and to ensure employees are fully aware of training opportunities available to them during their work hours.   
 
We also know a diverse workforce with strong Indigenous representation means a better public service for all. With the new addition of paid leave for Indigenous employees to engage in traditional Indigenous practices, including hunting, fishing and harvesting, the government will be better able to attract and retain more Indigenous workers and recognize their lived experiences. 

Protections against contracting out

Privatization and contracting out in the federal public service leads to higher costs, more risk, and reduced quality of services for Canadians. PSAC has negotiated language to ensure that in the event of layoffs, preference shall be given to the retention of PSAC members over outside contractors already working with the federal government. This language will protect public service jobs and reduce contracting out in the federal public service.  
 
The government has also committed to a consultation process on the issues associated with contracting out in the federal public service. 

Seniority under Workforce Adjustment Process 

PSAC and the employer have agreed to submit a joint proposal to the Public Service Commission of Canada to include seniority rights in the Workforce Adjustment process in situations where reasonable job offers can be made to some but not all surplus employees in a given work location. 

Other gains at the bargaining table 

• Further protection when the employer introduces new technological changes in the workplace. 
• Official commitment from the employer to review the National Joint Council (NJC) Bilingualism Bonus Directive. 
• Expansion of the types of activities for which union leave can be requested. 
• Reimbursement of up to $35 for the costs of medical certificates requested by the employer for sick leave taken for three consecutive days or less.  
• Increase to the shift and weekend premiums from $2.00 to $2.25 per hour. 
• Increased funding of the Joint Learning Program (JLP), including funding to train occupational health and safety committees and representatives. 
• Expansion of leave provisions to include visiting a family member who is nearing the end of their life. 
• Expansion of the scope for bereavement leave to include aunt and uncle. 
• Creation of a joint committee to review the language in the maternity and parental leave articles for opportunities to simplify it, as well as examining the interactions between the collective agreement and the Employment Insurance (EI) Program and the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan.  
• Creation of a joint committee to make collective agreement language more gender inclusive. 

Full text and next steps 

In the coming days, PSAC members will be invited to participate in online ratification votes. Details about the votes will be shared as soon as possible.    

In the meantime, we’ve updated our frequently asked questions to provide further information on the tentative agreements, ratification votes, retroactive pay, and more. Bookmark the FAQ and revisit the page often, as we’ll continue to update it with new questions from members. 

To ensure that you receive all updates and can participate in the ratification process, please update your contact information in PSAC’s member portal.