News release

July 28, 2005

Federal correctional workers face ‘danger pay double-cross’

            OTTAWA – The federal government is directing the Correctional Service of Canada to stop issuing danger pay to several thousand Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members.

            “Treasury Board has arbitrarily decided that 2,000 of our members will no longer be compensated for the stress and danger they face daily working in the federal correctional system,” says John Edmunds, President of the PSAC’s Union of Solicitor General Employees component.  “To add insult to injury, the government also intends to recover some of danger pay that affected employees have already received.”

            “It is more than a little ironic that the government will be removing the danger pay effective August 10 – Prisoner Justice Day,” says Edmunds, showing no justice for correctional workers.”

            Under the collective agreement between PSAC and Treasury Board, workers are entitled to receive danger pay, known as the Penological Factor Allowance, recognizing that they work in hazardous circumstances.  The government is relying on a narrow interpretation of a provision that refers to employees with “custody” of inmates or offenders to limit payments to fewer workers.

            According to Edmunds, most of PSAC’s members working in the correctional system are in close contact either with inmates in the federal penitentiaries or with offenders in half-way houses or on parole.  Many of them have committed violent, sometimes horrendous crimes.

            “The government is trying to claim that they consulted with the union and we have agreed with their plan to drastically reduce the number of workers receiving the allowance,” says Edmunds.   “That’s blatantly untrue.  This is nothing more than a double-cross in the face of assurances received by the union during the last round of bargaining in 2004 that the allowances would not be taken away.”

            “Anyone who thinks that our members don’t face danger should remember Louise Pargeter, the parole officer who was brutally murdered on the job just last year.  The government intends to remove the allowance from some of our members who were her colleagues and who perform similar work.”

            PSAC/USGE members are conducting information pickets to send a message to CSC and to Treasury Board that the removal and recovery of danger pay is not acceptable.

            “We believe Treasury Board’s action was taken in bad faith and is contrary to the collective agreement,” says Edmunds.  PSAC National President Nycole Turmel has written to Treasury Board officials asking for a meeting before the government’s August 10 implementation date and further actions are being planned.”

            PSAC/USGE represents over 5,600 workers at CSC.  They work as parole officers, social programs officers, drivers, teachers, plumbers, pharmacy technicians, in food services and provide administrative support in the federal penitentiaries.

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For information:          John Edmunds, USGE National President
                                    (613) 232-4821, ext. 231 or (613) 532-5003 (cell)

                                    Louise Laporte, PSAC Communications
                                    (613) 560-4287 or (613) 558-4975 (cell)

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