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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                              November 7, 2002

Statistical Survey Operations strike will disrupt Labour Force and other Statistics Canada surveys

OTTAWA - The reliability of Statistics Canada surveys will be in jeopardy if Statistical Survey Operations (SSO) employees take strike action to back up their bargaining demands.  The employees, members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), collect and record data by phone and in person. The data is used  to produce national economic indicators such as the unemployment rate, the Consumer Price Index, the Composite Index, as well as social surveys dealing with the health and welfare of Canadians.

“Our members have given their bargaining teams a very strong strike mandate with an over 90% vote in favour of strike action,” says PSAC National Executive Vice-President John Gordon.  “They’ve sent a clear message that the employer’s offer of inadequate wage increases and roll-backs of benefits will not produce a settlement.”

“Anyone who relies on Statistics Canada surveys should be concerned about the impact of a strike,” according to Andrew Jackson, Senior Economist with the Canadian Labour Congress.  “Policy makers must have access to timely and accurate data.  For example, Labour Force Survey data affects eligibility requirements for Unemployment Insurance and is used in establishing monetary policy.  Accurate Consumer Price Index information is essential for anyone whose wages or pensions are linked to increases in the cost of living.”

“Statistics Canada has a reputation as the finest statistical agency in the world,” says Jackson.  “If data collection and reporting are interrupted or if Statistical Survey Operations tries to collect data using untrained and inexperienced replacements, the validity of Statistics Canada surveys will be called into question and their reputation tarnished.”

 The workers are represented in two separate bargaining units.  Field Interviewers, who work out of their homes, make up one unit and are negotiating their first agreement.  Regional Office Interviewers, who work in a number of offices across the country, make up the second unit.  Their agreement expired on November 30, 2001.  The number of workers in the two bargaining units can range up to 2,000 depending on the number of surveys being produced.

“Salaries for Interviewers have fallen well behind comparable positions in the federal public sector,” explains Heather Brooker, President of the PSAC’s National Component.  In 2000, the last year that they received an increase, both Field and Regional Office Interviewers were making over $2.00 an hour less than the lowest paid clerks in the federal government.  Since then, the gap has widened to the point that Field Interviewers are paid at least 40% less than their federal counterparts, while Regional Office Interviewers have fallen at least 35% behind.”

According to Brooker, “Field Interviewers, who make a minimum rate of $10.69 and work part-time, are also their employer’s costs by working out of their homes and using their own phones and cars.  Yet the employer refuses to consider an office allowance.” 

“The employer will have an opportunity to improve their offers when the parties meet with a Conciliation Officer in mid-December and in early January,” says John Gordon.  “SSO should concentrate on reaching a settlement and preserving Statistics Canada’s international reputation.”

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For information:          John Gordon, PSAC National Executive Vice-President, (613) 560-4310

                                    Andrew Jackson, Senior Economist, Canadian Labour Congress, (613) 526-7445

Heather Brooker, President, National Component (613) 560-4301

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