After more than two years of negotiations and historic strike action by PSAC members across the country, our TC bargaining team reached a tentative agreement for more than 10,000 members in the Technical Services (TC) 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 TC bargaining team recommends the ratification of the tentative agreement. 

TC Group wage increases  

Our PSAC TC bargaining team secured wage increases of 12.6% compounded over four years of the collective agreement from June 22, 2021, to June 21, 2024. PSAC secured an additional fourth year in the agreement to protect workers from inflation (projected by the Bank of Canada to be 2.3% in 2024), as well as a pensionable one-time lump sum payment of $2,500, representing 3.1% of the average TC group member salary. 

*wage adjustment of a minimum of 0.5% for all bargaining units 

In addition to these wage increases, the bargaining team also secured the following group-specific wage adjustments and allowances:     

• Implementation of wage comparability with Engineering and Scientific Support (EG) members at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as per PSAC’s arbitration victory. This provides an additional 3.3% increase for all EG members. 
   
• Fishery Officers will receive an increase to their existing annual allowance from $3,534 to $6,500.  
   
• Environment Enforcement and Wildlife Officers will receive an increase to their existing annual allowance from $3,534 to $6,500. 
   
• Department of National Defence (DND) Fleet Maintenance employees will receive an increase to their existing annual allowance from $2,500 to $2,800. This allowance will also expand to include employees at the Directorate of Quality Assurance, except for TIs who are newly covered by Appendix A-1.  
   
• Search and Rescue Coordinators’ and Coast Guard Employees’ existing allowance will increase from $5,354 to $5,998.  
   
• The first two steps of the PI-01 rates of pay will be removed. Any employee who is paid at either of those rates will move up to step 3. 
   
• Labour Affairs Officers’ allowance will expand to include TI-05, TI-06 and TI-07 level Cabin Safety Inspectors at Transport Canada and will increase from $3,779 to $5,500. 
   
• Technical Inspectors at Measurement Canada and the Canadian Grain Commission will receive an increase to their existing allowance from $3,534 to $5,500. 
   
• Shore-based Coast Guard employees will have their allowance increased to $541 for EG-06s, $415 for EG-07s, $639 for GT-06s, $593 for GT-07s, and $395 for GT-08s, and the eligibility for allowances will expand to include employees working in Fleet Requirements and Support.  
   
• An annual allowance increase from $5,000 to $7,000 for Laboratory Technologists and X-Ray Technologists employed at Norway House and Percy E. Moore Hospitals. 
   
• Airworthiness Auditors of Technical Airworthiness and Engineering Support (DTAES) will receive a new allowance of $3,960 for EG-06 and EG-07 levels. 
   
• The Correctional Service Specific Duty Allowance (CSSDA) will increase from $2,000/year to $2,140/year. 

Other group- specific changes 

• Fishery Officers working in off-shore surveillance now have access to Travel Status Leave. Employees who are temporarily assigned to off-shore detachments can now request compensation in a combination of cash and compensatory leave (at least 37.5 hours and up to 75 hours per year). 
• Travel Status Leave now applies to Aircraft Maintenance Engineers working under Appendix R. 
• Members in the Sea Lamprey Control Unit of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) will be compensated at time and a half for Saturdays worked and double time for Sundays worked. 
• Employees working Sea Trials will be compensated at straight time for hours aboard sea vessels—including hours not worked but spent on the vessel. Time worked in excess of regularly schedule hours will be compensated as overtime. 

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. 
• The 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.  
• The 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 with answers to your questions about 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.