FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                             JANUARY 18, 2000

OTTAWA….A one-year tentative agreement between the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and Treasury Board for the Education and Library Science Group contains provisions for paid personal leave, a first for federal government agreements.

"Employees who work as 10-month teachers do not receive annual leave. They will now receive two, non-cumulative days off with pay per year for personal needs," according to PSAC National President Daryl Bean. "The clause is a start towards reducing the stress and burnout experienced by these teachers."

The settlement includes a salary increase of 2% plus an $800.00 lump sum payment. For Library Science (LS) and Education Support (EU) employees, the percentage increase will be applied on rates of pay fully adjusted by the 1999 pay equity agreement. All allowances will also be increased by 2%. Other improvements include four weeks and three days vacation leave with pay after 17 years of service; an increase in shift and weekend premiums to $1.50 per hour; and the inclusion in the collective agreement of the current practice of providing two 15 minute daily rest periods for the LS group.

"During this round of negotiations, the Education Support (EU) group was included with the librarians and teachers for the first time. The negotiating team was successful in ensuring that the best existing contract language now applies to all employees," says Bean. The team also successfully rejected all Treasury Board’s demands to rollback previous gains."

"The settlement also contains other innovations," says Bean. "Employees will now be able to vary the way in which they take bereavement leave, such as taking leave for ceremonies related to the death which may occur at a later date. This new provision recognizes that there are different cultural and religious practices related to bereavement among federal public service workers.

"Another first in the agreement is the inclusion and recognition of the qualifications for technical teachers in the collective agreement pay notes.

"And, under the tentative agreement, employees would be able to take up to one day with pay for a medical appointment for a dependent family member, up from the previous one-half day. This is of particular benefit to teachers working in remote locations who may have to travel considerable distances for this purpose."

The tentative agreement, which would expire on June 30, 2000, is subject to ratification by the members of the Education and Library Science Group. The Group consists of approximately 1,000 employees in Library Science, Education and Education Support.

- 30 -

For information: Daryl Bean, PSAC national president, (613) 560-4330

01-180100