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For immediate release                                                 January 28, 2002

OTTAWA - The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has reached a tentative agreement with the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA), concluding negotiations which began in November 2000.

"Negotiations with the Agency have been prolonged but have resulted in a number of breakthrough provisions for our members," according to PSAC National President Nycole Turmel. "Almost one-third our members at CCRA are term employees. For the first time, their collective agreement entitles them to receive pay increments after they have accumulated 52 weeks of non-continuous service and keep them upon any rehire. Many of CCRA’s term employees are regularly re-hired but keep going back to the beginning of the pay scale every time they are hired. This breakthrough represents a significant benefit. In addition, CCRA has agreed to put $300,000 into a joint union management study of the conditions affecting our term members."

"Harmonization of pay scales covering most of our members is another improvement," says Betty Bannon, national president of the PSAC’s Union of Taxation Employees. "Not only will the rates of pay for PM, AS, IS, PG and OM groups be harmonized but also the rates for the CR, DA, ST and OE groups. The combination of economic increases and harmonization will result in the maximum rate of pay for a CR-4 increasing by 10% over the life of the agreement, while the maximum rate for a PM-2 will increase by 11%."

"Our bargaining team pushed hard for its demand that every border point be staffed at all times by a minimum of two Customs Officers," says Serge Charette, national president of the PSAC’s Customs Excise Union Douanes Accise. "While we are waiting for specific commitments, CCRA explained during negotiations that they plan to hire 9,600 new employees over the next three years. We intend to continue fighting for increased border staffing to protect the health and safety of our officers and the Canadian public."

Other features of the tentative agreement include:

• Job security provisions were strengthened with the CCRA committing to assist surplus employees in finding placement elsewhere in the broader federal public service.
• Economic increases of 3.2% effective November 1, 2000; 2.8% effective November 1, 2001 and 2.5% effective November 1, 2002. The harmonization of rates will take place retroactive to November 1, 2001 before the second economic increase is applied.
• Regional pay zones covering some CCRA employees will be reduced from seven to 2, retroactive to November 1, 2000, before the first economic increase is applied.
• Part-time employees will now earn increments after 52 cumulative weeks of work, rather than having to work 1,950 hours at once, and will keep that pay rate on any rehire.
• Shift premiums will go up to $1.75 from $1.60 on the date of signing and up to $2.00 on November 1, 2002.
• Family-related paid leave will increase from five to six days a year, another first in the federal public service.

The PSAC represents approximately 33,000 CCRA employees in the Program Delivery and Administrative Services Group. If ratified, the new agreement will expire on October 31, 2003. The ratification process will start in early February and continue for about six weeks.

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For information:

Nycole Turmel, PSAC national president (613) 560-4330
Betty Bannon, UTE national president (613) 235-6704
Serge Charrette, CEUDA national president (613) 723-8008, ext. 304

07-280102