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UPDATE ON PUBLIC SERVICE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
June 23, 2005
The negotiating team met with the Employer on June 10. The negotiations continue to progress and another five clauses were tentatively agreed to.
This negotiations session saw the continuation of talks about wages. The Employer tabled a three year economic offer of a 1.75% increase in the first year, 1.9% in the second year and 2.0% in the third year. These rates are 0.5% per year less than what the AU (Audit) and PA (Program and Administrative Services) groups received in their most recent settlements.
The Association knows that it is not only about wage increases and that increments are a very important issue for the membership.
The Association provided a modified proposal in response to the Employer's offer. However, the Employer and the Association are quite far apart in terms of the economic settlement. We await the Employer's response.
There is very high demand for financial professionals both in the public service and the private sector, and the Employer has difficulty staffing positions with experienced candidates. The Employer's 2004 statistics indicate that 45% of the financial management community has no more than six years experience in the public service, many having substantially less. Moreover, in the 2003 Treasury Board survey of the Financial Community, almost a third of FIs said they plan to leave the community within five years for reasons other than retirement. These are troubling statistics and we strongly believe that better compensation and benefits for FIs will help the government recruit and retain the best, brightest and most experienced financial managers.
Although the Association believes it is in a strong negotiating position with the conciliation/strike mandate it got from its members, the Employer may need to be convinced that we are willing to take it to the next level.
John Leduc will be replacing Andrew Francis on the Negotiating Team as Andrew is now in an excluded position. We would like to thank Andrew for his valuable contributions to the Compensation and Benefits Committee and Bargaining team and wish him well in the future. Robert Loiselle has also joined the Negotiating Team, replacing retired Chair Merdon Hosking. Gabriel Najjar joined the Committee.
The next negotiating session is scheduled for July 13.
Stay tuned for more information as events unfold.
Your negotiating team and Compensation and Benefits Committee:
Jonathan Hood hoodj@agr.gc.ca
Harry Barber
Nicole Bishop
Tony Bourque
Don Caldwell
Philomena Doyle
Karen Hall
Milt Isaacs
John Leduc
Robert Loiselle
Tom McNaught
Arjun Patil
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