EC Collective Bargaining Update
October 4, 2007
A one-year contract for CAPE’s EC members was negotiated in the summer of 2006 as a result of Treasury Board agreeing that the circumstances of that particular round warranted an exceptional response from the parties at the table. The 2006 round was expected to be the EC conversion round, however, the data cube required to negotiate new EC pay scales was not close to being available. CAPE proposed a one-year deal in order to avoid an anticipated long hiatus during which the parties would have waited for the data cube. Treasury Board agreed. A one-year deal was signed and now we are back again at the table with a data cube to be delivered shortly.
In 2007 circumstances are once again exceptional, but for a different reason. It will now be a conversion round. Furthermore, CAPE’s EC bargaining committee decided to bring to the table not only many of the proposals provided over the course of the past year by members writing to CAPE, but also all of the proposals that were included in the EC bargaining package of 2006 that had not been examined in detail at the table at that time. Thus the exceptional circumstances this time will not favor a quick resolution at the table. Quite the contrary, it should be expected that the 2007 round of bargaining at the EC table will take more time than usual: pay scales need to be re-invented. It is anticipated that the parties may be at the bargaining table well into 2008. Moreover, if there is a federal election, it is most probable that Treasury Board will terminate the mandates provided to its negotiators, thus suspending for all intents and purpose the bargaining process for a few months until a new government settles in. In short, we may be looking to the fall of 2008 for an agreement.
Over the course of the next few months, CAPE will be informing visitors to its site of the issues that it has brought to the EC table. A special button for collective bargaining is being installed on CAPE’s welcome page, where members of each bargaining unit which is active at a bargaining table will be able to retrieve the latest information.
While it has been decided by the bargaining team that it would be strategically unwise to expose its proposals publicly for a number of reasons, it was also decided that the problems that the proposals are meant to address would be of interest to the members, and other visitors to the site. Therefore we begin today with a summary of the principal sets of problems brought to the table, which will be followed again over the next few months by short information pieces on each of these issues.
The problems
The problems CAPE’s EC bargaining committee brought to the table on July 16 mostly fall into the following categories:
• problems relating to the quantum and/or to the conditions of various existing types of leave, including the vacation leave, bereavement leave and family related responsibility leave;
• problems relating to the absence of certain types of leave in the EC collective agreement that would facilitate our EC members’ efforts to balance work and personal responsibilities;
• problems relating to specific circumstances when EC members are financially vulnerable;
• problems relating to the traveling provisions of the collective agreement, including the matters of stopover, stay over and remuneration;
• problems related to labour relations rights under the agreement, including the grievance procedure, investigation procedures, and discipline;
• problems related to training and career development; and finally,
• problems of remuneration that go beyond conversion issues or the usual pay adjustment matters.
Several other proposals have been tabled in order to address more targeted issues such as severance, hours of work and overtime. In total close to 70 proposals were presented to Treasury Board on behalf of EC members on July 16, and explained at subsequent meetings with the Treasury Board team on September 11 and 12.
In November and December, both bargaining teams will begin moving on the initial proposals toward a general agreement on the new elements of a new EC collective agreement. The data cube for the EC conversion will be provided to the parties during this period. Probably some time early in the new year, preliminary discussion of pay matters will be broached.
October 4, 2007
A one-year contract for CAPE’s EC members was negotiated in the summer of 2006 as a result of Treasury Board agreeing that the circumstances of that particular round warranted an exceptional response from the parties at the table. The 2006 round was expected to be the EC conversion round, however, the data cube required to negotiate new EC pay scales was not close to being available. CAPE proposed a one-year deal in order to avoid an anticipated long hiatus during which the parties would have waited for the data cube. Treasury Board agreed. A one-year deal was signed and now we are back again at the table with a data cube to be delivered shortly.
In 2007 circumstances are once again exceptional, but for a different reason. It will now be a conversion round. Furthermore, CAPE’s EC bargaining committee decided to bring to the table not only many of the proposals provided over the course of the past year by members writing to CAPE, but also all of the proposals that were included in the EC bargaining package of 2006 that had not been examined in detail at the table at that time. Thus the exceptional circumstances this time will not favor a quick resolution at the table. Quite the contrary, it should be expected that the 2007 round of bargaining at the EC table will take more time than usual: pay scales need to be re-invented. It is anticipated that the parties may be at the bargaining table well into 2008. Moreover, if there is a federal election, it is most probable that Treasury Board will terminate the mandates provided to its negotiators, thus suspending for all intents and purpose the bargaining process for a few months until a new government settles in. In short, we may be looking to the fall of 2008 for an agreement.
Over the course of the next few months, CAPE will be informing visitors to its site of the issues that it has brought to the EC table. A special button for collective bargaining is being installed on CAPE’s welcome page, where members of each bargaining unit which is active at a bargaining table will be able to retrieve the latest information.
While it has been decided by the bargaining team that it would be strategically unwise to expose its proposals publicly for a number of reasons, it was also decided that the problems that the proposals are meant to address would be of interest to the members, and other visitors to the site. Therefore we begin today with a summary of the principal sets of problems brought to the table, which will be followed again over the next few months by short information pieces on each of these issues.
The problems
The problems CAPE’s EC bargaining committee brought to the table on July 16 mostly fall into the following categories:
• problems relating to the quantum and/or to the conditions of various existing types of leave, including the vacation leave, bereavement leave and family related responsibility leave;
• problems relating to the absence of certain types of leave in the EC collective agreement that would facilitate our EC members’ efforts to balance work and personal responsibilities;
• problems relating to specific circumstances when EC members are financially vulnerable;
• problems relating to the traveling provisions of the collective agreement, including the matters of stopover, stay over and remuneration;
• problems related to labour relations rights under the agreement, including the grievance procedure, investigation procedures, and discipline;
• problems related to training and career development; and finally,
• problems of remuneration that go beyond conversion issues or the usual pay adjustment matters.
Several other proposals have been tabled in order to address more targeted issues such as severance, hours of work and overtime. In total close to 70 proposals were presented to Treasury Board on behalf of EC members on July 16, and explained at subsequent meetings with the Treasury Board team on September 11 and 12.
In November and December, both bargaining teams will begin moving on the initial proposals toward a general agreement on the new elements of a new EC collective agreement. The data cube for the EC conversion will be provided to the parties during this period. Probably some time early in the new year, preliminary discussion of pay matters will be broached.