August 29, 2008
Impact of a federal election on Treasury Board and Agency bargaining
What happens to our negotiations if a federal election is called?
PSAC currently has two weeks of negotiations scheduled for our PA, EB, SV and FB bargaining units; one week in September, one in October. The TC group is in the process of establishing dates for mediation this fall.
It is our intention to proceed with negotiations if an election is called. There are no legal restrictions that would prevent Treasury Board and other Agency employers from bargaining during an election period.
The union also intends to continue its negotiation of Essential Services Agreements, including hearings before the Public Service Labour Relations Board, during the election period, if one is called. There is no legal restriction that prevents the Board from continuing this work during a federal election.
Conducting a strike is prohibited when a federal election takes place. However, if an election is held this fall, this restriction will not affect our negotiations with Treasury Board, Parks Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The government we elect has a direct impact on our negotiations
PSAC members working in the federal public sector aren't just electing a government, they're electing their employer.
If an election is called, members need to know where the candidates stand on issues that have a direct impact on their salaries and working conditions.
Who are the candidates in your riding who will pledge:
- to stop the contracting-out and privatization of federal public services;
- negotiate fair salary increases that reflect broader wage settlement trends and increases in the cost of living and achieve wage parity with other unionized public and private sector employees;
- eliminate regional rates of pay; and
- take our bargaining demands and our negotiations seriously?
Candidates who are prepared to support and defend federal public services deserve your support and your help in getting them into Parliament.
An election is our time to act
Prime Minister Harper has been claiming that a dysfunctional Parliament is forcing him to call an early election. After more than a year of enduring this government's dysfunctional approach to negotiations, a federal election gives PSAC members the opportunity to find a government with a more productive take on bargaining and to make a real change at the bargaining table. For the sake of our collective agreements - and the future of federal public services - we need to make the most of this opportunity.
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Date Modified : 2008/08/29
Public Service Alliance of Canada | 233, Gilmour Street, Ottawa, ONTARIO CANADA, K2P 0P1, Tel.: 1 888 604-7722 (PSAC)