Dear Members,

Last week I was invited to meet with the Cabinet level working group on the Phoenix pay system to discuss potential solutions. I last met with the Cabinet committee in June 2017 and since then we have sadly seen little to no progress – in fact the problems continue to mount.

I took the time to remind them of the pain and suffering our members are still experiencing due to the Phoenix pay system. I wanted to make sure they do not forget the human side of this fiasco.

I also took the opportunity to deliver some key messages and asked them to do the following:

• Pay employees correctly and on time!
• Allocate more resources in departments and agencies to help employees with their pay problems.
• Nix Phoenix and start building an alternative system – one built by our own government IT professionals.
• Award damages to compensate for the problems Phoenix has inflicted on so many.
• Create a tax exemption for those who have experienced overpayments

I believe the Ministers understood the gravity of the issue and are working hard to find solutions. They themselves hear from many federal employees in their MP Constituency offices.  I hope to hear news from them soon on our key priorities – we need to see progress.  With the Federal Budget around the corner I am hopeful we will see a meaningful plan and investment to ensure federal employees are paid correctly and on time.

Help me keep the pressure on government to replace Phoenix with a system that works -- one built by federal IT experts. Email the ministerial working group today.

Sincerely,
Debi Daviau

OTTAWA, Feb. 16, 2018 - As the second anniversary of the launch of the Phoenix pay system approaches, 17 unions representing over 225,000 federal public service workers have sent a joint letter of demands to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The unions are asking the Prime Minister to deliver a plan to work with federal government employees to rebuild a payroll system that will pay them accurately and on time – every time.

In the shorter term, the unions are calling for urgent action to mitigate the adverse consequences of Phoenix, such as granting an exemption for employees in receipt of overpayments from repaying the gross amount, which is more than what they have received. They also call on the federal government to provide damages to make workers whole for the many hardships Phoenix has caused them, including untold stress, and the time spent dealing with their pay problems.

"In the lead up to and launch of Phoenix, the government ignored its employees and the unions that represent them," said Public Service Alliance of Canada National President Robyn Benson. "The Prime Minister must learn from this mistake and act urgently on our requests to ease the hardship of our members caught in this nightmare."

"Our members deserve a federal payroll system that works," said Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada President Debi Daviau. "That will only happen when the government acknowledges it needs to nix Phoenix and begins working with our members on a system that isn't programmed to fail."

"Throughout this saga, public servants have been steadfast; they keep showing up to work despite not getting paid correctly and continue to deliver world class services to Canadians," said Canadian Association of Professional Employees President Greg Phillips. "Likewise, they expect their leaders to show up with the same level of determination and commitment – to treat this issue with the urgency and seriousness it deserves."

On February 14, Benson and Daviau met with the Ministerial working group on Phoenix to reiterate the concerns raised in this letter. A copy of the letter to the Prime Minister is attached.

For further information: PSAC Media contact: Jonathan Choquette, Communications Officer / Agent de communications, (819) 773-2511, (613) 560-4317, choquej@psac-afpc.com; CAPE Media contact: Ben René, Communications Officer / Agent de communications, 613-406-5962, brene@acep-cape.ca; PIPSC Media contact: Johanne Fillion, Communications Officer / Agente des communications, 613-228-6310, ext 4953 or 613-883-4900 (cell), jfillion@pipsc.ca

View the letter in PDF

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