The new EC Collective Agreement - Frequently Asked Questions
November 2, 2004
Many members have called with questions regarding the new EC collective agreement. Some of your questions have been fairly general in nature, and some have required more detailed information. We’ve tried to clarify the answers, and have compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions, and have answered them below:
When does the new contract come into effect?
The new collective agreement will come into effect on the date of signing. We anticipate that the contract will be signed by the end of November.
How long does the Treasury Board have to implement the pay changes?
Treasury Board has 90 days from the date of signing of the collective agreement to implement the pay changes, and provide members with retroactive pay.
What changes will be effective retroactively, and what changes come into effect once the contract is signed?
Only the changes to salary will be retroactive. All other changes to the collective agreement will come into effect on the date of signing.
Did we get Volunteer Leave and Personal Leave days?
Yes. Article 21, Other Leave With or Without Pay now has two additional sub-clauses:
Volunteer Leave:
Subject to operational requirements as determined by the Employer and with an advance notice of at least five working days, an employee shall be granted in each fiscal year, 7.5 hours of leave with pay to work for a charitable organization.
Personal Leave:
Subject to operational requirements as determined by the Employer and with an advance notice of at least five working days, an employee shall be granted in each fiscal year, 7.5 hours of leave with pay for reasons of a personal nature.
When do the Volunteer Leave and Personal Leave days become effective?
These articles will come into effect on the date of signing of the collective agreement. We anticipate that the agreement will be signed by the end of November. These days must be taken before the end of the fiscal year, and cannot be carried over into the next fiscal year. So, once the collective agreement is signed, you have until the end of the day on March 31, 2005, to take this year’s Volunteer Leave and Personal Leave days.
I retired while the contract was open – that is, while you were negotiating the contract. Are any of the changes applicable to me?
Yes. The contract expired June 21, 2003. If you worked for any period during the time that the contract was open/under negotiation (June 21, 2003 to the date of signing, which we anticipate will be the end of November, 2004), any changes to the salary that you earned during that time will be calculated retroactively, and the appropriate adjustments will be made to your pension calculations.
What happened to the Marriage Leave?
Marriage Leave, as it existed in the previous collective agreement, has been extended to same-sex couples – 5 days of Marriage Leave, with no limit to the number of times you may take such leave.
(The issue has become a bit confused, as Treasury Board has negotiated different solutions to the discriminatory nature of the marriage clause, with different Bargaining Agents. Treasury Board was directed on May 26 2003, by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, to eliminate the discriminatory application of marriage leave in all of the collective agreements to which it is a party. The other party, the union, is also responsible for ensuring that the collective agreement is non-discriminatory. The Translation Group and PSAC for example, negotiated 5 days of leave once in the employee’s career. This option was never made available to the EC Group. Your EC Collective Bargaining Committee thought that extending marriage leave to same-sex couples was the preferable solution to the discriminatory nature of the marriage leave clause.)
Apart from the percentage increases, were any increments added to the salary scales?
No. We were unable to negotiate any additional increments in the pay scales. The Chair of the Arbitration Board did not award additional increments, either.
November 2, 2004
Many members have called with questions regarding the new EC collective agreement. Some of your questions have been fairly general in nature, and some have required more detailed information. We’ve tried to clarify the answers, and have compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions, and have answered them below:
When does the new contract come into effect?
The new collective agreement will come into effect on the date of signing. We anticipate that the contract will be signed by the end of November.
How long does the Treasury Board have to implement the pay changes?
Treasury Board has 90 days from the date of signing of the collective agreement to implement the pay changes, and provide members with retroactive pay.
What changes will be effective retroactively, and what changes come into effect once the contract is signed?
Only the changes to salary will be retroactive. All other changes to the collective agreement will come into effect on the date of signing.
Did we get Volunteer Leave and Personal Leave days?
Yes. Article 21, Other Leave With or Without Pay now has two additional sub-clauses:
Volunteer Leave:
Subject to operational requirements as determined by the Employer and with an advance notice of at least five working days, an employee shall be granted in each fiscal year, 7.5 hours of leave with pay to work for a charitable organization.
Personal Leave:
Subject to operational requirements as determined by the Employer and with an advance notice of at least five working days, an employee shall be granted in each fiscal year, 7.5 hours of leave with pay for reasons of a personal nature.
When do the Volunteer Leave and Personal Leave days become effective?
These articles will come into effect on the date of signing of the collective agreement. We anticipate that the agreement will be signed by the end of November. These days must be taken before the end of the fiscal year, and cannot be carried over into the next fiscal year. So, once the collective agreement is signed, you have until the end of the day on March 31, 2005, to take this year’s Volunteer Leave and Personal Leave days.
I retired while the contract was open – that is, while you were negotiating the contract. Are any of the changes applicable to me?
Yes. The contract expired June 21, 2003. If you worked for any period during the time that the contract was open/under negotiation (June 21, 2003 to the date of signing, which we anticipate will be the end of November, 2004), any changes to the salary that you earned during that time will be calculated retroactively, and the appropriate adjustments will be made to your pension calculations.
What happened to the Marriage Leave?
Marriage Leave, as it existed in the previous collective agreement, has been extended to same-sex couples – 5 days of Marriage Leave, with no limit to the number of times you may take such leave.
(The issue has become a bit confused, as Treasury Board has negotiated different solutions to the discriminatory nature of the marriage clause, with different Bargaining Agents. Treasury Board was directed on May 26 2003, by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, to eliminate the discriminatory application of marriage leave in all of the collective agreements to which it is a party. The other party, the union, is also responsible for ensuring that the collective agreement is non-discriminatory. The Translation Group and PSAC for example, negotiated 5 days of leave once in the employee’s career. This option was never made available to the EC Group. Your EC Collective Bargaining Committee thought that extending marriage leave to same-sex couples was the preferable solution to the discriminatory nature of the marriage leave clause.)
Apart from the percentage increases, were any increments added to the salary scales?
No. We were unable to negotiate any additional increments in the pay scales. The Chair of the Arbitration Board did not award additional increments, either.