Consultation President’s Message
Dear Member,
I hope you are keeping safe and well, during these unprecedented times. As the vaccines continue to roll out I hope we will see a return to normalcy and can enjoy the summer ahead.
I officially took over the role of RCMP Consultation President May 13th and I have been busy getting up to speed on consultation activities within the RCMP. I would like to thank Benny Wong for his dedication over the past two years as Consultation President. He has been our voice at the National Labour Management Consultation Committee (LMCC) and has worked tirelessly to recruit stewards to help better represent our members. While he may be taking a step back from this leadership role, I am sure he will continue to be involved as a Steward.
I got involved with PIPSC because of deeming and the minimal voice we had at the table. I wanted to help guide my co-workers through difficult times and provide them the support they needed. I have volunteered as a Steward since May 2019 and have represented PIPSC on the NHQ LMCC as well as in other capacities. I have been a civilian member with the RCMP since 2017. Within the RCMP I have worked in K Division as a Radio Technician and then moved to NHQ where I’ve worked as a Radio Engineer in National Radio Services. I now work as a Senior Security Analyst in Departmental Security. Prior to joining the RCMP I worked for the private sector working for a defence contractor and then a small oil and gas automation firm.
I look forward to serving as your Consultation President for the next two years and working to increase our representation at all RCMP Divisional LMCCs to bring your voices to the table with management. If you are interested in joining your division’s LMCC please contact me directly.
Also, we will be publishing a quarterly newsletter along with the minutes from the national LMCC to keep you informed of the issues we are tackling on your behalf.
If you have any questions or need help, do not hesitate to reach out.
Yours in Solidarity,
Blair Mason, CD, B.Eng, P.Eng
President - RCMP Consultation Team
COVID-19
PIPSC is actively engaged in a monthly meeting with senior RCMP management on COVID-19. As vaccinations increase and case counts begin to decrease discussions on re-integrating into the workplace will begin. We are working to make sure your rights to a safe workplace are protected. Currently the RCMP is considering a gradual return to the workplace and following a hybrid approach. There will be more information on this in the coming months.
Remember management does not have the right to ask you if you have been vaccinated against COVID-19. If you wish to voluntarily disclose this information it is your choice. Management may encourage you to get vaccinated, but should not be asking you to inform them if you have been vaccinated. Only Regular members are required to report their vaccination to health services. Civilian Employees are not required to report vaccination to health services.
Civilian Member Deeming
May 21st marked the 1 year anniversary of the most recent unsuccessful CM deeming date. I’m glad to say our voices were heard and CM’s have been spared the disastrous Phoenix Pay System. However the delay in deeming has presented new issues, with CM mobility. The Commissioner’s broadcast message indicated a resolution to this issue, but a year later there has been no progress and no indication of resolution.
We will continue to push the Commissioner and Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) on this issue and will provide further updates as they come in. The next National LMCC is scheduled for June 28th.
Also keep your eye on the PIPSC Civilian Member page for updates and FAQs:
IT and ICT Conversion
As some of you are aware, the CS group is undergoing re-classification to become the IT group. You can find more information here: https://pipsc.ca/groups/cs/faqs-cs-group-conversion-to-it-group
Similar to the CS group, Civilian Members in the SPS-CP classification will be converted to a new classification SPS-ICT (Information & Communication Technology). This will result in updated work/job descriptions and a change to position classifications. We have been reassured no changes will be made to the CM terms of employment. The RCMP is currently targeting October 2021 for the rollout of the ICT conversion. The RCMP will be posting more information on InfoWeb as it becomes available.
Stewards
Are you interested in helping your fellow employees with difficult situations and providing them with guidance? Or do you want to engage with senior management to help make the RCMP a better workplace? If you would like to make a difference consider becoming a steward. We are volunteers and are the backbone of PIPSC. To learn more go to: https://pipsc.ca/labour-relations/stewards/getting-started/role