SSO Bargaining
October 15, 2012
Talks Break Off in SSO Field Interviewer Negotiations
Stats Canada makes no movement despite petitions containing hundreds of signatures being presented to management
Since February, our Bargaining Team for the Field Interviewer group has met with Stats Can management on numerous occasions in an effort to reach a new collective agreement. From the very beginning of the process, we have indicated clearly to management that we are looking for significant improvements to our working conditions, improvements that reflect what has been agreed to by other federal employers. These include: rights for employees in the context of work assignment, including the recognition of employee seniority; an obligation on the part of the employer to provide employees with items and equipment necessary to do their jobs; wages that match what other federal employees are being paid for similar work. We have also proposed protections to ensure that we do not lose pensionable hours. We have discussed all of these proposals at length in negotiations, those concerning work assignment and pension accrual in particular.
This week our team met again with SSO in negotiations. Our Team presented petitions with hundreds of employee signatures in support of key objectives in this round. By the end of the second day (October 11th), management indicated to us that it was not prepared to include any new protections or rights in our contract. Nor was management prepared to agree to wage parity with other federal public servants, nor was it prepared to agree to provide employees with items and equipment necessary to do their jobs.
As a result, our Bargaining Team has declared impasse. We indicated to management that, should SSO be prepared to finally address our concerns with respect to work assignment and parity with other federal workers, we will be prepared to meet and negotiate. In the meantime we will be contacting the Labour Board and filing for arbitration.
Date Modified : 2012/10/15
