CANADA
Canada’s new Minister for the Public Service says fixing the disastrous Phoenix pay system is at the top of her mind as she begins work.
Lawyer and academic, Anita Anand (pictured) said there was no question that Public Servants deserved to be paid accurately and on time for their important work.
“That’s something that I’m going to continue to turn my mind to,” Ms Anand said.
Her appointment comes as the country’s largest Federal Public Service union has rolled out a campaign condemning the re-elected Liberal Government for the Phoenix pay problems and for not concluding a new contract for many of its members.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is targeting Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau and the new Head of the Treasury Board, Jean-Yves Duclos.
In a statement, the PSAC said the Government’s continued negligence was forcing its members to ramp up their workplace action, leading to a potential strike.
“More than 140,000 of our members are still without new contracts or fair compensation for the Phoenix pay system disaster,” the statement said.
The PSAC has nine bargaining units without contracts. Eight have reached the mediation stage while one – Canadian Border Services – is still in talks.
The union said it was sending Mr Trudeau a clear mandate: “Deliver a fair contract for our members and fair compensation for this ongoing Phoenix nightmare.”
Meanwhile, the PASC has promised to keep its members up to date on plans by the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer to modernise several classification groups in the core Public Service.
This work is intended to align classification groups, many of which are decades old, with the work of today’s bureaucracy.
“The PSAC is ensuring that consultation takes place and that our members are kept informed throughout the process,” the union said.
“Classification is necessary to determine the relative value of one job in relation to other jobs in the Public Service, for the purposes of pay. Classification systems must operate without sexual bias and be capable of measuring the relative value of all jobs in the same establishment.”
Ottawa, 25 November, 2019
