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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  April 8, 2002

OTTAWA - The workers responsible for protecting and maintaining Canada’s national parks, historic sites, canals and waterways, members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), have voted strongly to take strike action if a settlement cannot be reached with the Parks Canada Agency. These members, in service centres and field units across the country and in the national office, have given their bargaining team a solid strike mandate.

"Today, we have asked the Public Service Staff Relations Board to establish a Conciliation Board, which is the last legal requirement before strike action is taken," says PSAC National President Nycole Turmel. "However, Conciliation Board reports are not binding on the parties and, unless Parks is prepared to alter its position on major concessions and its confrontational approach to bargaining, a strike will be inevitable."

Turmel explains that "when the Agency was created, employees were promised that they would not be worse off because they were no longer being employed by Treasury Board. While other major separate employers have either maintained or improved upon Treasury Board salaries and working conditions, Parks is going in the opposite direction."

"We don’t want it to happen, however, anyone planning to vacation in our national parks or along our waterways this summer could face disruptions in service in the event of a strike," according to Ed Cashman, president of the PSAC National Component. "Unfortunately, Parks Canada doesn’t seem too concerned about the impact a strike would have on the state of our parks and historic sites, on Canadians’ vacation plans, or on their employees. Their negotiating position is that our members should give up benefits and working conditions which have been achieved over 30 years of bargaining in the public service."

"Parks Canada’s demands would just make bad situations worse," adds Mike Wing, president of the PSAC’s Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE). "For example, some workers already work 12 hour days, six or seven days a week during the summer without overtime compensation. The employer, under the guise of wanting greater flexibility, wants to eliminate weekend premiums for all employees and reduce access to overtime and shift premiums. Overall, employees stand to lose an average of $1,200 as the employer attempts to rollback overtime, shift and weekend premiums and the pro-rating of benefits for seasonal employees."

This is the first round of negotiations with the new Agency. The PSAC won a representation vote after 11 former bargaining units were grouped into a single unit by the Public Service Staff Relations Board on May 1, 2001. Bargaining began in September 2001. Meetings were held with a Conciliation Officer in January without reaching a settlement.

The PSAC represents some 4,600 Parks Canada employees including parks wardens, gate attendants, historical researchers, administrative support staff, trades people, maintenance workers and canal operators.

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For information:

Nycole Turmel, PSAC national president, (613) 560-4330
Ed Cashman, president, PSAC National Component, (613) 560-4301
Mike Wing, president, PSAC UCTE, (613) 238-4003

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