Worth Looking Into

Catch up on the latest PIPSC news. Read stories of interest to your union group or profession.

The following articles have recently appeared in various media across the country.

Note: These links will take you to an external website. Please note some employers may restrict access to external websites. Headlines are listed in both English and French for the convenience of our members.

3 October 2019

Background

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada and the Treasury Board have reached a tentative deal on a Memorandum of Agreement to support employee wellness.

When this round of negotiations began in 2014, the employer tabled proposals to eliminate the existing sick leave system and replace it with a short-term disability program. PIPSC, along with other federal public service unions, firmly stated that we would only negotiate improvements to the current system.

The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Employee Wellness Support Program (EWSP) is a significant improvement over the current system. It is a system designed to improve employee wellness and the safe and successful reintegration of employees into the workplace following a prolonged absence due to illnesses or injury.

What are the weaknesses of the current system?

To make improvements to the current plan, we needed to clearly understand areas where the system could be improved. An analysis of the usage of sick leave and the distribution of sick leave banks was done for PIPSC’s Treasury Board groups. It was found that the needs of many of our members are not being served by the current system, especially for members in certain demographic groups.

PIPSC’s analysis revealed the following:

The current system disadvantages women.
o Female members tend to use about 2.5 more sick-days per year than men resulting in smaller sick leave banks.
o On average, women’s banks
The current system disadvantages Health Care professionals.
o Members of the Health Services Group (SH) use about 11.5 sick days per year, which is 2.6 days more than the overall average of 9.9 days per year for PIPSC Core public administration (CPA)Treasury Board Groups.
o 78 percent of the SH group have insufficient sick leave to meet the LTD waiting period (average shortfall of 22-days).
The current system disadvantages members under the age of 40.
o As the banks accumulate from unused sick days over time, it can take very long to accumulate enough sick leave to cover the LTD waiting period.
o It takes the average member well into their 40s to accumulate banks in excess of 65 days.
o Members between the ages of 30 and 39 are on average 9 days below the 65-day threshold while members under 30 are 38 days short.
o Not a single member under 30 has enough sick leave banked to cover the LTD waiting period.
Where certain characteristics intersect (under 30, female, health care professional) the gaps are even larger.
o For instance, the average bank of a female in the SH group (38 days) is 27 days below the average males in the SH group of 65 and a drastic 73 days below the overall average male bank of 111 days.
Overall, the current system does not serve the needs for the majority of CPA members.
o Over half (51%) of PIPSC members employed by the Treasury Board have sick leave banks that are less than 65 days.
The current system disadvantages vulnerable members.
o A member who requires regular sick leave to attend to a chronic or episodic illness has no choice but to draw from their sick leave banks to cover their absence. This situation can quickly become unsustainable as their banks run out.
The current system requires you to exhaust your sick leave bank before going on LTD.
o After returning from just one period of LTD your bank will be empty. If you were to get sick again before accumulating enough sufficient sick leave, you could face an unpaid waiting period.
o Members retire with large sick leave banks that go unused. On average, members retire with 118 days of unused sick leave in their banks.

How the EWSP would improve on the current system

The EWSP was negotiated to improve on the current plan. A number of key features were included that make the system more adaptable to the diverse needs of our members. The program includes several major improvements over the current plan, including:

Members will no longer need to rely on their sick leave banks to cover the waiting period before going on LTD. The program offers a three-day paid qualification period for 26 week short-term disability plan at 100% income replacement. This will be beneficial for over half of the PIPSC Treasury board members who have sick leave banks less than 65 days.
Members will need fewer annual sick days. The program includes an additional day of Family-related leave which will allow members to take care of a family member without having to use their own sick leave. This may reduce the current sick leave usage by up to one full day.
Members can still use annual sick days when needed. The program includes nine fully-paid sick days per year with a three-day carryover of unused days.
100% salary replacement for 13 more weeks: The LTD benefits provided by Sun Life are at the rate of 70% of pre-disability earnings. Under the new system, our members will be eligible for 100% income replacement for additional 13 weeks which would benefit 75% of CPA PIPSC members
Members with chronic or episodic illnesses will have full income protection under the new plan, since the waiting period will be waived for employees having a diagnosed chronic illness. Currently, many members with chronic illnesses are required to use vacation or other leave days (paid or unpaid) to cover off absences from the workplace.
Members will not have to use sick leave to cover travel time for diagnosis and treatment of an illness.
Members on the EWSP will be considered to be on leave with pay and therefore, will continue to accrue vacation and pensionable service.
Members will not automatically lose their sick leave banks. Existing sick leave banks in excess of 26 weeks can be used prior to going on LTD.
This program comes at no extra cost to members. It has been agreed that the plan will be fully funded by the employer.

The EWSP is a big improvement over the current system. The program will address the current system’s shortcomings while ensuring that PIPSC members have a sick leave system that provides full income protection when our members are away from the workplace due to illness or injury.

15 August 2019

The PIPSC EWSP technical and steering committees met several times with Treasury Board in late 2018 and early 2019 to finalize the proposed employee wellness support program that would replace our current sick leave regime.

Significant progress has been made in developing the EWSP plan document and we are working now to secure provisions agreed to by the parties.

When a final agreement is reached, we anticipate that proposed contract wording will be written over the summer followed by ratification information sessions in late fall.

Ratification votes will be held separate from other collective bargaining ratification votes and the results will be separated by group.

Your EWSP Advisory Team

12 July 2019

The PIPSC EWSP Advisory team has moved to a more intensive meeting schedule, with meetings now occurring every three weeks to coincide with, and provide support to the Technical Committee, that is meeting with Treasury Board to develop the proposed new wellness regime.

The Advisory Team is providing input to the Technical Committee on key elements of the plan, and Plan Design, in order to ensure all matters identified in the MOA are addressed by the end of the year. With this deadline quickly closing in, your representatives are concentrating on this advisory role. Once the currently scheduled in-person presentations are complete, an online presentation will be made available for those who have been unable to attend an in-person session.

Although significant progress is being made in crafting the new wellness regime, the specific content can only be shared with your delegates involved in the discussion at this point, as any other bargaining discussion. Current topics under discussion include chronic and episodic illnesses, internal case management and return to work services, definitions, and eligibility among other topics from the MOA."

Thanks,

Vance Coulas, Q. Arb.

Employment Relations Officer – National Capital Region

PIPSC

23 June 2019

Developing the Program and Reaching out to Members - Employee Wellness Support Program (EWSP) Update #3

The PIPSC EWSP Advisory Team has been meeting since last August, providing advice and guidance for the Technical Committee that is working with Treasury Board to develop the proposed new wellness regime. The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed between PIPSC and Treasury Board in late 2016 sets out the key EWSP features and the process for developing the program.

We have developed the EWSP Vision and Guiding Principles and are working on program design features including flowcharts and definitions. To ensure that we have the best information to develop the EWSP, we’ve received presentations on case management and other topics from a number of organizations. Our target date for completion is September 2018 but this can be extended by mutual agreement with Treasury Board.

While all of this work has been going on, we’ve received feedback from members saying that they need more information about the EWSP MOA and how it will impact our upcoming negotiations. To ensure that our members have factual and accurate information, our EWSP Advisory Team are now delivering, upon request, presentations about the current status of EWSP to subgroups and branches.

14 May 2019

The PIPSC Advisory Team continues to play a key role in developing and providing specific direction to the Technical Committee, as well as approving their work on a monthly basis. Since November, the Advisory Team has been mapping the processes, from the initial leave requests through to either a return to work, or transition to Long Term Disability. The Advisory Team will continue with this thorough approach over the next few months to make sure the vision and guiding principles are embodied in the EWSP.

The Steering Committee, responsible for developing the Employee Wellness and Support Program (EWSP), met on Thursday February 1, 2018 to review and approve the Technical Committee’s work to date. Under the guidance of the PIPSC Advisory Team, the Technical Committee developed the vision and guiding Principles for the EWSP. This program, that addresses individual employee needs and circumstances, will provide prompt and ongoing support to employees on leave for medical reasons, and facilitate a sage and successful reintegration into the workplace.

September 2018 is the current target date for completion. No changes will be made to the current sick leave plan without ratification by the members of each group for their respective group.

For more information, please click on the following link:

http://www.pipsc.ca/news-issues/sick-leave

13 February 2019

In support of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Employee Wellness Support Program (EWSP), the Professional Institute of the Public Service has established this committee to direct the negotiations of a new EWSP.

Mandate

Adopt its own Terms of reference.
Formulate, direct and approve the work for the PIPSC Technical Committee.
Receive and review regular reports on the state of the discussion with TBS after every meeting.
Provide input and recommendations to the PIPSC members of the Technical Committee to reflect the needs of the members.
Advise PIPSC members of the Technical Committee on approval of the outputs of the Technical Committee.
Inform the PIPSC members on the Steering Committee of the Advisory Team agreement of a tentative agreement.

Composition

Adrienne Turnbull, RE;
Ben Lootsma, (substitute: Jennifer Campbell) NUREG;
Doug Mason, (substitute: Chris Roach) AFS;
Eva Henshaw, (substitute: Gordon Bulmer) CS;
Frederick Jamieson, CFIA;
Jennifer Carr (Substitute: Dale Hudson), NR ;
Lynn Ohlson, (Substitute: Colin Muise) SH;
Ray Paquette (substitute: Peter Gabriel), AV;
Waheed Khan, SP;
Sean O’Reily, VP;
Brigitte Jolin, AA Negotiations, Pension and Benefits;
Dejan Toncic, Pension and Benefits
Cathrine Wright, Research
Richard Beaulé, National Labour Relations
Vance Coulas, ERO.

Quorum

Members of the Advisory Team can attend by electronic means.
7 of the 9 members, 5 of 7 core (CPA and AFS) and 1 of 2 separate employers.
A second group representative can attend meetings as needed.

Meeting norms

Opening and closing time; Meetings starting time will be in alternate in between 8:30 or 9:00 and will end 8 hours later.

Chair / facilitator – PIPSC staff members will act as Chair.
Speakers list will be the way to communicate with preference given to those who have not had a turn to speak on the topic at hand.

Decision making

Consensus

Minutes

PIPSC staff will take the minutes and distributed within a week of the meeting.
Capture the decisions and follow up items with assignment and time lines.

Calendar of meetings

Meeting every 4 weeks.

Confidentiality

With the members: updated news letter
With the group’s Executive or the Bargaining Team: Advisory Team minutes
With the SBC: Reports

Communication / information

Email
Docushare
Plan regular communication to members.

Duties of the member seating on the Technical Committee meetings

Represent and report to the Advisory Team members.
Minimum of 2 of the 3 mandated members are required to attend the Technical Committee meetings.

Support documentation:

Steering Committee Agenda and minutes
Technical Committee Agenda and minutes
Any document shared by Treasury Board
Any professional analysis related EWSP that have been requested by PIPSC
Any document related to the EWSP Committee

External expertise support:

Subject Matter Expert can be utilize as required.

Appendix A (from the document presented at April SBC)

PIPSC Advisory Team and Technical Committee Working Together

The PIPSC Technical Committee will provide written briefings to the Advisory Team after each meeting or series of meeting with the employer updating them on what was discussed, positions taken and agreed items/language (in principle).
The PIPSC Technical Committee will hold conference calls and meetings with the Advisory Team to collect feedback, share information and receive guidance from the Advisory Team.
The 3 members who are a PIPSC member on the Technical Committee will be responsible for facilitating these meetings in coordination with the PIPSC Negotiations Division.

Strategic Bargaining Committee

The PIPSC Technical Committee will provide the tentative EWSP language and program design to SBC representatives who will take the text to the respective group bargaining team for ratification and inclusion in their collective agreement.

5 December 2017