PIPSC ESDC National Consultation Team Newsletter - Summer 2018
I would like to take this opportunity to reach out to all our members at ESDC on behalf of the PIPSC ESDC Consultation Team. This team of volunteer stewards has been working tirelessly together in the background. Their efforts allow us to express our position to management, on pertinent issues, programs, processes and departmental direction that affect you, our members, in the workplace.
We have as a team, and individually, sought ways to improve workplace conditions and represent our members when dealing with performance management, mental health, CPP-D service standards and expectations, contracting out, career development, talent management, staffing, Workplace 2.0 and 3.0, Benefit Delivery Modernization, training and of course, Phoenix.
There is a lot of work to be done and you can rest assured that we are working diligently for you in all these areas of concern. I want to ensure you appreciate these efforts as much as I do and thank them for all they do for the ESDC membership.
An integral piece of the consultation process is communication. We routinely communicate with management both formally at the consultation table as well as informally in dealing with individual member issues. We stay connected with our stewards nationally, with Institute staff and within our consultation team as much as possible. Information is shared within our team using various tools and methods and we use our steward network to act as a conduit to our members and advise us of broader issues and concerns that need to be brought forward to the various levels of consultation. An important facet of communication is finding ways to directly link with our members from time to time. One way is through our newsletters, this being our first of many to come.
I hope that this will provide you a snapshot of who we are and an update on the work we have been doing in the interest of all our members in ESDC.
In Solidarity,
Stan Buday
President
PIPSC ESDC National Consultation
Your PIPSC National Consultation Team for ESDC
- Stan Buday – President (NLMCC, HRUMCC, IITB NUMCC, TISMB, BDSB)
- Dean Corda – Vice President (NLMCC, HRUMCC, PHSC)
- Yvonne Snaddon – Vice President (IITB NUMCC, OICM, Alternate for National Meetings)
- Adele McLean – Vice President NU-EMA (TISMB, BDSB, HRUMCC as required, WT RLMCC)
- Nicholas Isenor - Communications Officer
- Peter Taticek - Diversity and Employment Equity
- Lynn Ohlson – Western Territories (RLMCC)
- Sherry Guikas - Western Territories (RHSAC)
- Roxanne Bedard – Ontario (RUMCC)
- Fay Cormier - Atlantic (AUMCC)
- Jamie Weatherbee - Atlantic (AUMCC)
- Amberly Colter - Atlantic (RHSAC)
We have been working on the following issues on your behalf.
Phoenix
- The Department has created an entirely new Directorate to deal with employees affected by the Phoenix fiasco. In addition to the Liaison Office dealing with PSPC they have hired 10 Compensation Advisors who have full access to Phoenix. If you are affected by Phoenix, please talk to your Manager who can start the process to have the issue(s) addressed. Contact a PIPSC Steward to file a grievance as well.
Talent Management
- The Department has reported an increase in the use of Talent Management in addition to traditional hiring practices. We continue to monitor the usage of this tool and ask that you bring any questionable actions to the attention of a PIPSC Steward or the Consultation Team.
Transformation
- Transformation within the Department will affect every Branch and make many changes to the way we provide services to Canadians and internally. The Transformation Branch has committed to consulting with Unions throughout the process.
Benefits Delivery Modernization
- BDM is a citizen-centric strategy to modernize the way the Department serves Citizens. We’ve been constantly reassured that it is not a contracting-out exercise. However, we are keeping a close eye on this initiative since the first step of the process taken by the Department was to consult Industry for information on ways to make those improvements.
CPP-D Service Improvement Strategy
- Like the EI SIS, CPP-D will undergo analysis for making improvements that are intended to improve Citizen Service. We are working towards regular consultation with the Benefits Delivery Service Branch. Improvements to service should start with updating the Performance Expectations of our Medical Adjudicator community based on the way they work now, not 10 years ago.
Mental Health
- The Department’s Mental Health Survey results are in and on average almost one third of our colleagues have indicated that they’re struggling with high levels of job stress. With more than 40% indicating that they don’t feel as if they are able to have an impact on decisions being made that affect their work life. We continue to consult through the various MH Committees and Working Groups emphasizing the premise that a happy healthy workforce leads to a productive workforce.
PAs
- Issues have been raised to clarify the use of Talent Management and Action Plans. PAs are intended to be used to assist employees in the performance of their duties and career advancement.
CS Member Career Advancement
- We continue to promote advancement opportunities on behalf of CS members within IITB and ESDC as a whole. We continually insist that opportunities are made available to members across the country, including but not limited to processes, acting opportunities, and micro missions.
Training
- We push for training opportunities on behalf of CS members. We encourage all CS members to complete their SEED profile to include areas of interest where they would like to work or be trained. Along with your SEED profile it is important to complete the Learning Plan portion of the PA.
Contracting out IT Work
- The contracting of IT work continues to affect the level of CS employment in ESDC and elsewhere in the Federal Government. New language in the CS Collective agreement should allow us to ensure that contractors are employed only in specific circumstances and not as a first option. Knowledge must be transferred from contractors to members and we need to be trained to continue to do the work for which we have been hired.
If you have any questions, concerns, or issues please don’t hesitate to contact us, your local Steward or send an email to: ESDCConsultation@pipsc.ca
Legend
- NLMCC - National Labour Management Consultation Committee
- HRUMCC - Human Resources Union Management Consultation Committee
- IITB - Innovation Information and Technology Branch
- NUMCC - National Union Management Consultation Committee
- RLMCC - Regional Labour Management Consultation Committee
- NPHSC - National Policy Health and Safety Committee
- RHSAC - Regional Health and Safety Advisory Committee
- RUMCC - Regional Union Management Consultation Committee
- AUMCC - Atlantic Union Management Consultation Committee
- OICM - Office of Informal Conflict Management