Treasury Board

Late last week, in response to urgent correspondence from National President Robyn Benson, the Chief Human Resources Officer for Treasury Board Anne-Marie Smart, confirmed in writing that the Government of Canada intends to repeal Division 20 of Bill C-59.  In the interim, the Government says it will not exercise the powers given to it by the Bill to unilaterally implement a disability and sick leave management system.

Hunter Tootoo, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, officially announced today that the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station in Vancouver would be re-opened. “PSAC is happy to see the government listened to British Columbians and officially announced Kits Station’s reopening today,” said Bob Jackson, Public Service Alliance of Canada Regional Executive Vice-President for BC.

PSAC Treasury Board bargaining teams came to Ottawa this week to prepare for the next round of bargaining. Bargaining dates have now been set for February 1-5.  While the teams initially expected to bargain in December, these dates were delayed to give the new government time to improve its mandate.

 

The new minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Minister Hunter Tootoo, was mandated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a letter released Friday to re-open the Kitsilano Coast Guard station and the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre in St. John’s. “This is a major victory for all who have been campaigning against the closures by the previous Conservative government,” said PSAC National President Robyn Benson. "We are optimistic that Minister Tootoo will act swiftly for the sake of water, harbor and environmental safety.”

PSAC congratulates Scott Brison on his appointment as President of the Treasury Board Secretariat and looks forward to working together to restore public services and improve working conditions for public sector workers. “The integrity of and respect for the public service was a central issue during the election campaign for our members and for Canadians who rely on the vital services our members provide,” said Robyn Benson, National President of PSAC. “We look forward to turning the page and working together to rebuild and restore that trust.”

A new Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives study entitled Waiting to Happen: Why we need major changes to the health and safety regime in federally regulated workplaces was released today. The study reveals that the health and safety of over a million workers in the federal government and other federally-regulated workplaces is at risk. 

PSAC has asked for a court order to stop the government from going ahead with their plans to remove sick leave provisions from collective agreements in the federal public service. 

The Conservative government has been working steadily to undermine and eliminate workplace rights in the federal government. It’s time for a change.

PSAC’s website now helps members connect with their local union representative. Find your local union contact and your collective agreement By choosing their employer, their job classification and the closest city to where they live, PSAC member can get phone and web contact information for their component or local as well as a link to their collective agreement.  The system is aimed at getting PSAC members answers to their questions about their job faster.