PSAC Home  |   2002 news releases  |  2001 news releases  |  français

OTTAWA - Fed up with numerous attempts by their management to erode their hard-fought working conditions, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members working for the Parks Canada Agency will be taking a strike vote.

Some 4,600 workers will be asked to support their bargaining team and cast their ballot in favour of a strike. The vote will take place starting in mid-February and the results will be announced in March. The PSAC will also shortly be requesting the establishment of a Conciliation Board to help the parties reach a negotiated settlement.

"When the Agency was created in April 1999, we were assured that we would be better off under this new organization, than if we had remained part of the Public Service," indicated Ed Cashman, President of the PSAC National Component, which represents Parks Canada employees. "But we are witnessing a complete reversal of that promise made by Parks Canada. During these negotiations, the Agency is trying to make fundamental changes to our collective agreement that will not only severely penalize our members financially, but will give managers total control over employees’ work schedules without additional compensation. This is unacceptable and we want to make sure that Parks Canada gets that message loud and clear."

"On the economics, we are basically being offered the federal public service money," added Mike Wing, National President of the PSAC Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE), who also represents Parks workers. "But in order to obtain what was given to other PSAC members in the Public Service, management is asking our members to accept significant rollbacks that no other employer has demanded. Parks Canada must understand that we will not give in. We will not accept less than what we had before, nor will we allow the employer to renege on its promises made during the transfer to the new Parks Canada Agency."

Besides changes in the hours of work, Parks Canada is seeking rollbacks in several key areas: shift premium, weekend premium, call-back and reporting pay, and the pro-rating of benefits for seasonal employees. At stake is roughly $5 million in various forms of premium pay, which is an average of $1,200 per employee.

This round of negotiations is the first one since the Parks Canada Agency was created in 1999. Last April, the Public Service Staff Relations Board grouped 11 different bargaining units into a single unit, represented by the PSAC. Negotiations started in September 2001.

PSAC members at Parks Canada are involved in the preservation of National Parks and Historical Sites. They are parks wardens, gate attendants, historical researchers, administrative support staff, trades people, maintenance workers and canal operators.

-30-

Information:
Ed Cashman, President, PSAC National Component - (613) 560-4301
Mike Wing, President, PSAC UCTE - (613) 238-4003
Dominic Vidmar, Communications Officer PSAC UCTE - (613) 238-4003
Pierre Lebel, Communications Officer PSAC - (613) 560-5482

09-040202