Tag Archives: psac

PSAC Calls On Justin Trudeau to Make Good On His Word

The Public Service Alliance of Canada is launching a series of radio and print ads today, appealing directly to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to make good on his word to support public service workers.

“Last year, Mr. Trudeau wrote to all public service workers promising to treat them with respect and restore the cuts made by Stephen Harper,” said Robyn Benson, PSAC National President. “It has been a year since the election. The tone has changed, but it’s now time for action.”

At the most recent set of negotiations between PSAC and the Treasury Board, it was clear that the Liberal government is still using the Conservatives’ bargaining agenda.

“They came with the same proposals as the previous government and many of our members are still dealing with the problems caused by the Phoenix pay system,” said Benson. “Supporting the people who deliver the vital services Canadians depend on is in everyone’s best interest.”

For more information on the radio and print ads, visit makegoodonyourword.ca.

This article was originally published on the PSAC website.

PSAC National President Continues to Work Toward Fair and Complete Phoenix Compensation

For months, we’ve been hearing from many of our members about the difficulties they’ve faced as a result of ongoing problems with the federal government’s pay system. Our members who were not paid accurately or on-time have faced penalties, interest charges and exceptional fees.

Compensation: The committee tasked to deal with Phoenix-related compensation, co-chaired by PSAC National President Robyn Benson and the Secretary of the Treasury Board, meets today to further discuss optimizing the compensation process, and the right to grieve inaccurate and/or untimely pay if necessary.

PSAC continues to advocate to make the compensation process as fair as possible. The Treasury Board’s offer to compensate public service workers for Phoenix-related losses came in the wake of PSAC demands and a court application filed by PSAC and several other public service unions.

Following today’s meeting, we will provide a comprehensive update on the compensation system for our members. The claim form for compensation can be found here.

Minister Foote faces heated questioning: The Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada appeared before a Parliamentary Committee yesterday, where she faced pointed questions about her handling of the Phoenix debacle. Watch her testimony, and that of other witnesses, here.

This article was originally published on the PSAC website.

Phoenix Issue: Minister Foote finally agrees to meet with PSAC

Yesterday, the PSAC sent National President Jean-Pierre Fortin the following link regarding the Phoenix system: Minister Foote finally agrees to meet PSAC after repeated requests

By now, we are all familiar with the problems related to the Phoenix pay system and know that some CIU members have been affected. On behalf of all CIU members, Brother Jean-Pierre Fortin wishes to recognize the extraordinary efforts of our PA group colleagues in the Pay and Benefits Section who have been dealing with this difficult situation since mid-April.

Even if the new pay system will not allow them to fix problems immediately, they are doing everything they can to process emergency salary advances and ensure their sisters and brothers are paid.

True solidarity!

Phoenix system privacy breach unacceptable, must be addressed immediately by the government

Officials at Public Services Procurement Canada were aware that the Phoenix pay system might cause privacy breaches as early as January 2016, according to media reports released yesterday.

Minister Foote acknowledged last night that the private information of thousands of public service workers has been shared with close to 70,000 staff.

“This is serious and unacceptable. The private information of our members and all public service workers should not be in the hands of anyone who does not need it,” said PSAC National President, Robyn Benson.

“The government must let public service employees know immediately about what personal information has been shared and how they can take steps to protect their identities.”

“I am writing to the Privacy Commissioner immediately, as well as the Prime Minister and Minister Foote, to express our alarm.”

Government already aware of privacy concerns

The government was aware as early as January 2016 that there were grave privacy concerns with the Phoenix pay system. Despite this, the government consistently told employees that their privacy was fully protected.

PSAC shared privacy concerns

When we shared our concerns about privacy protection last May 2016, PSPC assured us that a Privacy Impact Assessment was completed and all privacy concerns had been addressed. It now appears that some aspect of this process was deeply flawed.

PSAC calling on the government for immediate action

* Information has be shared with all public service employees about what personal information has been shared and how they can take steps to protect their identity.

* A hotline must be created to address individual members concerns about privacy issues, staffed with knowledgeable agents.

* The government must commit to approving compensation for any employee who has incurred costs because of privacy violations.

“PSPC has consistently refused to listen to the PSAC and other unions with regards to problems with the Phoenix pay system, even though our concerns have been proven valid time and time again. 80,000 employees are experiencing issues with their pay. That is a staggering number,” concluded Benson.

This article was originally published on the PSAC website.