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A new round of bargaining covering over 110,000 members in the Programs and Administrative Services (PA), Technical Services (TC), Operational Services (SV) and Education and Library Science (EB) bargaining groups kicked off in June 2021. While each group negotiates specific improvements to their respective collective agreements, the common issues bargaining team negotiates items that cut across all four groups, such as parental leave improvements, job security and protections against contracting out. These talks are held separately from group-specific sessions.
Union and employer proposals
Meet the Common Issues bargaining team
The common issues bargaining team is composed of members of the PA, TC, SV, and EB bargaining groups.
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Sargy Chima, PA group
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Scott Hodge, TC group
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Marcelo Lazaro, SV group
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Marie-Hélène Leclerc, EB group
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Kristina MacLean, SV group
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Frédéric Prigot, PA group
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Danielle Poissant, TC group
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Rosemay Smith-Gimblett, PA group
This round of bargaining, the team will be focusing on several key issues targeted for improvement including:
Remote work
We believe that provisions governing remote work will be most effective when they are negotiated into collective agreements. We must also ensure that remote work is free from remote surveillance and unreasonable performance expectations, that employers cover associated expenses, and that concerns relating to accommodations, ergonomics and health and safety are addressed.
Technological changes
New and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence are poised to play a bigger role in supporting government decision-making and the delivery of public services. We must be properly notified and consulted on these changes, and ensure that any impacts on members are addressed.
Fair wages
In every round of bargaining it is imperative that we maintain our hard-fought gains – and that includes making sure that we secure increased wages that reflect the rising cost of living, and our members’ hard work and dedication.
Many PSAC members are also experiencing a widening wage gap compared to their private-sector counterparts. To continue attracting strong candidates for public service jobs, we must negotiate compensation in line with that of workers in similar occupations in industry.
Contracting out and privatization
Contracting out and privatization of public services increases costs and risk to taxpayers, reduces quality of services, erodes the internal capacity of the public service, creates precarious work, and undermines initiatives that address pay equity and systemic racism.
We must tackle the alarming increase in contracting out of government work, including through temporary staffing agencies.
Work-life balance
With the shift to remote work, we must secure the right of members to disconnect from electronic work devices outside of working hours. We must also expand leave provisions (e.g. 699 leave, family-responsibilities leave, sick leave) to improve work-life balance, which is especially critical for women, caregivers and those with disabilities.
We also need to negotiate flexible work options that allow members to shape their workday to match their personal and family responsibilities.
Systemic racism in the workplace
Systemic racism continues to prevent the public service from reaching its full potential. We must actively address the barriers and discrimination faced by racialized and Indigenous workers and ensure that all our members’ workplaces not only reject racism, but actively work to dismantle the structures that sustain it.
We also plan to call on the federal government to provide education to public service workers on the history of Indigenous peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Indigenous rights, Indigenous law, and Indigenous–Crown relations.
Job security
The current period of economic uncertainty emphasizes the need for a fairer workforce adjustment (WFA) process in case of layoffs. The current WFA process threatens more employees with potential displacement than is necessary and forces workers to re-interview for their own jobs, resulting in serious stress and other mental health impacts on affected members.
We must oppose all forms of precarious employment and ensure that all members have timely access to indeterminate employment.
