No. 7

June 26, 1997

On June 23^rd, Treasury Board broke off pay equity negotiations and announced that it would not return to the table until the Public Service Alliance of Canada moved from its demand for full retroactivity in accordance with the Canadian Human Rights Act and the precedent set by the Federal Court of Appeal in the case of the Non-Public Funds.

PSAC President Daryl Bean has called upon Treasury Board to pay the amounts contained in their offer to public servants in the affected groups immediately. This is perfectly reasonable since all parties (the PSAC, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and Treasury Board) agree that more money is owed. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is expected to rule on the remainder of the money owed by late fall.
Q. What happens now?

A. The Tribunal will make its decision, which will be legally binding. An appeal would require an "error in fact" or an "error in law". Even if Treasury Board does appeal, that should not stop the payments.

Q. I'm confused. The figures which Treasury Board released last week look very different from the PSAC figures. What's the real story?

A. The chart below compares our figures to Treasury Board's to give you a better idea of what we're talking about. Our figures use the wage adjustment methodology agreed to by the parties during the Joint Equal Pay Study and the past practice of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (which has been affirmed by the Federal Court of Appeal) with respect to retroactivity. It is important to note that our figures:

• include retroactivity to an earlier date, as required by the CHRC and the Federal Court of Appeal,
• refer only to additional amounts to be paid (many of the Treasury Board figures include the equal pay adjustments which are already being received), and
• do not include any interest. In some cases, interest could more than double the amounts owed.

N.B. In addition to the differences in the figures above, it is important to note the different positions of Treasury Board and the Alliance with respect to interest and damages:

Q. Why do Treasury Board figures give additional money to the ST-SCY 4s when the PSAC figures do not?

A. The amounts owed to the various groups and levels are based on the results of the Joint Equal Pay Study conducted between 1985 and 1989. In that study, a sample of positions from across the public service were rated by committees composed of managers and representatives of various unions. Their evaluations did not show any money, beyond that already paid, owed to ST-SCY 4s when compared to the average paid to male employees performing work of equal value. The Treasury Board averaged all SCYs together in their calculations. This means that SCY 4s get more and SCY 1s and 2s get less.

Q. I've tried to call the pay equity hot line a number of times and haven't been able to get through. How else can I get information?

A. PSAC Regional and Component Offices receive all pay equity information as soon as it is available, and can also answer your questions. If you would like to find out more about pay equity activities in your region, call the nearest regional office. If your Local is not receiving copies of the Pay Equity Bulletins, contact your Component. Regional Office and Component phone numbers are as follows: