Public Service Alliance of Canada

The Liberal government is following the Conservatives’ lead by introducing legislation that will allow employers to reduce pension benefits.

After months of stalling, Minister Judy Foote finally met with National President Robyn Benson on August 19 to discuss the on-going problems with the Phoenix pay system

We have some answers to common questions about the new payroll system

Our TC bargaining team returned to Ottawa June 17-23, 2016 to resume the negotiation of our next collective agreement. A centrepiece of this bargaining session was the presentation of our comprehensive wage demands to the employer’s bargaining team. This demand addresses the long-standing wage disparities experienced by TC members and closes this salary gap.

Our wage demand was built using the bargaining input submitted by TC members across the country, and the many emails and conversations between our team and the members over the two years that we have been working for you.

We were  also aided by three subcommittees – made up of enforcement workers, dockyards workers and TIs at Transport Canada. They provided input specific to these groups of TC members. We thank everyone for their help in developing our wage demand.

Wage gap between our colleagues from the public and private sectors

In order to help provide us with solid rationale for our wage demand, PSAC commissioned a study with AON Consulting in 2015 – the same research firm that conducted the pay study of the TC Group in 2008.

PSAC asked AON to survey employers in the public and private sectors across Canada, which they did in late 2015 and early 2016. While they were unable to provide data for every job in the pay study, AON were able to provide results for a wide spectrum of TC jobs, and for every classification except PY.

From this study, we were able to determine the pay disparities between TC members and their comparators. In measuring this wage gap, we then calculated what actions would be required to close this gap and place TC members on par with their colleagues in the public and private sectors.

Wage gap is a priority

Closing this wage gap is the goal of the TC wage demand. It should also be the goal of the employer, as wage disparities are hurting retention, recruitment, career progression, professional standing and employee morale.

Our team is attempting to achieve this goal by proposing the following actions:

1. Include all terminable allowances currently paid to members into their salary. These are the allowances described in: PI-CGC pay note #4, Appendix P, Appendix V, Appendix W and Appendix X.
2. Restructure the wage grids for all TC members: DD, EG, GT, PI, PY and TI. The bottom two increases would be dropped, two new top increases would be added and all members would be moved up the wage scale by two increases. This move would provide an 8% salary increase to all TC members.

These two actions seek to provide TC members with a permanent improvement to our wages. Such an improvement would impact our pension, helping to strengthen the retirement security of the membership.

Full remuneration for all TC members

In order to close the remaining wage gap, we are suggesting new allowances for specific groups and classifications, to fully remunerate these members for their work. After taking these changes into account, some TC members are still behind their comparators, as determined by the AON pay study.  The value of these proposed new allowances differ from group to group and between levels, because the value of the wage gap changes depending on the group and level.

The value of these new allowances was calculated using the top rate of the restructured wage grids that we proposed; that means, after the bottom two increases were removed, two new top increments were added, and members were moved up the wage scale by two increments.

New allowance members

• Aircraft Maintenance Engineers: EG-05 and EG-06 members located in Prince Rupert shall receive an annual allowance of $5,000 to help address staffing shortages.
• Department of National Defence Fleet Maintenance: Members working in a Fleet Maintenance Facility, or contractor ship repair yard or as a National Defence Quality Assurance Representative shall receive a monthly allowance. The proposed value of this allowance is:
  • 17.65% paid to EG-05 to EG-07 members, and
  • 9.05% paid to TI-05 to TI-07 members, using the TI-Marine rates of pay (inclusive of the current terminable allowance).
• Fishery and Enforcement Officers (Wildlife): shall receive a monthly allowance of:
  • 22.35% for GT-04 members, and
  • 16.04% for GT-05 to GT-06 members
• Labour Affairs Officers: shall receive a monthly allowance of 4.8% for TI-05 members.
• Measurement Canada TIs: shall receive a monthly allowance of 20.25% for members at the TI-03 to TI-07 levels.
• Canadian Grain Commission PIs: PI-CGC-01 to PI-CGC-07 members shall receive a monthly allowance of 10.83%.

Improvements to the following appendices

• Appendix P: We are expanding the application of this Appendix, to include members working in:

• Civil Aviation Safety Oversight,
• Dangerous Goods,
• Railway Safety – improving the definition of this group,
• High level Marine certifications, and
• Security Inspection.

Members working in the following groups would receive a monthly allowance of 9.05%:

• Aviation:  TI-05 to TI-08,
• Marine: TI-05 to TI-08. A monthly allowance for high-level marine certifications is also being proposed, to close the wage gap for these members.
• Rail:  TI-06 to TI-08,
• Security Inspection: TI-06 to TI-08, and
• Dangerous Goods: TI-05 to TI-8.

• Appendix V: shall be amended to provide a monthly allowance of:
• 8.26% for EG-05 members, and
• 17.65% for EG-06 to EG-08 members.

This action will close the wage gap for members at the EG-05 to EG-08 levels, as determined by the pay study. For members at the EG-01 to EG-04 levels, their pay disparity would be addressed through the inclusion of the current 1.5% allowance in Appendix V and the 8% wage increase that would be achieved through the wage restructuring described above.

• Appendix W:  We are expanding the application of this Appendix to better describe members working at the Canadian Coast Guard for the Integrated Technical Services and Vessel Procurement, as well as members working at a Joint Rescue Coordination Centre or Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre, including GT-05 members. The monthly allowance paid to these members would also be improved:

• 18.91% for GT-05 to GT-08 members, and
• 17.65% for EG 06 to EG-07 members.

Fair wage increase

In April our team presented a demand for a 3% economic increase, for each year of a three-year collective agreement. When that economic increase is factored into this comprehensive wage demand, the result is that TC members would receive a minimum pay increase of 11% in year one of our wage demands.

Investing in public service employees is investing in quality services

To meet the goals and priorities of the federal government, the employer must invest in the infrastructure of government – the workers who deliver quality public services to Canadians every day.

Our TC team is calling on the employer to make this investment in its employees; an investment that will benefit Canadians, now and into the future.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is greatly encouraged by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report and subsequent  “Calls to Action."