FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                March 1, 2001

OTTAWA - The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is challenging Treasury Board’s refusal to retroactively recalculate a variety of benefits and allowances as a result of the 1999 pay equity agreement between the parties.

"The union has filed a complaint with the Public Service Staff Relations Board (PSSRB) today," says PSAC National President Nycole Turmel. "We’re asking the Board to order the recalculation of a number of benefits and allowances throughout the retroactive period, going back to March 8, 1985."

"Salaries paid to workers in six female-dominated groups were found to be discriminatory by a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal in 1998," says Turmel. "The parties subsequently reached an agreement in 1999 to adjust the rates to eliminate the discrimination, and this has been done.

"However, there are a wide variety of benefits and allowances which are tied directly to rates of pay. While some of these benefits have been adjusted retroactively, Treasury Board has taken a position that they will not similarly adjust other benefits."

Treasury Board has refused to retroactively recalculate education allowance entitlements, and entitlements under the Foreign Service Directives, as well as severance pay in certain instances such as resignation and lay-off.

"Part-time workers seem to have been singled out," according to Turmel. "While many part-time employees work more than their regularly scheduled hours, Treasury Board is refusing to recalculate their wages retroactively on the hours actually worked, unless they’ve ‘consistently’ worked more than their regular hours. The union takes the position that regardless of their consistency, these additional hours have been worked and there is no justification for paying them at discriminatory rates of pay.

"In addition, part-time workers are compensated for designated paid holidays, based on a percentage of their rates of pay. Treasury Board is also refusing to retroactively recalculate the payment they’ve received for these holidays.

Another situation involves employees who have been moved from a higher paying position to a lower paying one and who are salary protected under existing collective agreements. In other words, they keep receiving the higher rate of pay. Once again, while Treasury Board will adjust their salary rate as of July 29, 1998, it will not adjust it retroactively.

The union’s claim affects current and former employees in the Clerical and Regulatory (CR), Library Science (LS), Secretarial, Stenographic & Typing (ST), Educational Support (EU), Data Processing (DA-CON) and Hospital Services (HS) groups.

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For information: Nycole Turmel, PSAC national president, (613) 560-4330

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