As part of the settlement in the last round of bargaining for the Technical Services (TC) group, PSAC secured the option to file for arbitration on the issue of pay parity for the Engineering and Scientific Support (EG) classification group with their counterparts at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The agreement allowed for arbitration to take place outside of the regular bargaining process and to begin as early as June 22, 2021. 

EGs in the TC group earn approximately three per cent less than those working at CFIA. This isn’t equitable, and PSAC has made very strong arguments in favour of parity for our EG members. 

On March 15, PSAC tabled our position for full parity, and Treasury Board indicated it would provide us with a counter proposal at a later date. More than three months and numerous follow-ups later, they have still not responded to our position. 

In response, PSAC filed for arbitration on June 22. PSAC will meet with an arbitrator on October 19 and 28 to make the case that EGs in the TC group deserve to be paid the same as EGs working for CFIA. The arbitrator will then issue a binding decision. If we are successful, this decision will increase pay rates for all EGs in the TC group.  

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