Parks Bargaining
October 19, 2012
PSAC asks labour board to mediate essential services agreement talks with Parks Canada
PSAC has asked the Public Service Labour Relations Board to mediate its four year dispute with Parks Canada over which positions are deemed « essential » in the case of a strike or lockout.
According to the Public Service Labour Relations Act both sides are supposed to come to an agreement on which services need to be provided to ensure the safety of the public in the event of a work stoppage.
For Parks Canada, that includes services such as monitoring and responding to forest fire hazards and coordinating search and rescue .
After there’s agreement on the services that are essential, Parks determines the level at which the services will be provided. Next, the union and the employer negotiate the actual positions and the number of positions needed to provide the services.
Before the union can call a strike, the two sides must reach an agreement on essential services.
But the process with Parks Canada has been going on since before 2008.
"Both parties have expressed wishes to reach an agreement," said Prairies REVP Marianne Hladun. "But it's clear there's a disagreement about where the process is at."
Hladun said mediation was the best way to clear up misunderstandings and get the agreements in place.
Parks Canada has agreed to mediation. The union is waiting on word from the board about how the mediation will take place.
Date Modified : 2012/10/19
