The Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have signed the new collective agreements for the Economic and Social Science Services (EC) group and the Translation (TR) group.
These new four-year agreements secure wage increases of 12.5% (compounded 13.14%) one-time pensionable payment of $2,500, a lower threshold to accessing an additional week of vacation time, and paid time off for Indigenous employees to engage in traditional practices.
“Our ultimate goal is always to ensure that our members are valued, well compensated, and can work every day in a safe, respectful and equitable environment,” said CAPE President Camille Awada. “While there is still work to do, our bargaining teams pushed as far as they could to secure fair agreements and we thank them for all their hard work.”
While CAPE had sought to include protections for interpreters in the TR agreement, the Association could not come to terms with the Translation Bureau. CAPE will continue to push – outside of the bargaining process – for better policies and practices that protect the health, safety and wellbeing of interpreters.
Both agreements include a separate letter or agreement on telework which calls for the creation of departmental panels, comprised of management and CAPE representatives, to examine employee grievances on a case-by-case basis.
All of the non-monetary terms of the agreement are now in effect, and TBS has 180 days from today to increase wages and deliver backpay. In certain circumstances, that timeframe may be extended to 460 days if an employee’s case requires manual calculation, such as employees on leave or in acting positions.
