Phoenix could be a big problem for the Liberals in 2019, say critics, union reps
The Phoenix pay system mess could prove to be a problem for the Liberals at the ballot box in 2019, says opposition MPs and union representatives, as the auditor general confirmed Tuesday it would take years to solve. According to auditor general Michael Ferguson’s report, the government’s $540-million earmarked to fix Phoenix will not be […]
Solving Phoenix will take years to resolve and more money than government estimates: AG
Public Services and Procurement Canada has failed to sustainably solve the Phoenix pay system issues and the solution will cost far more than $540-million the government currently plans to spend and years to properly resolve, according to the latest report from federal Auditor General Michael Ferguson. “We are concerned … those cost estimates did not […]
Supreme Court sides with federal lawyers to end unpaid mandatory on-call duty
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of federal immigration lawyers on Nov. 3, saying the mandatory unpaid on-call duty Justice Canada imposed on them violated their collective agreement. Ending a seven-year court battle, the Supreme Court ruled in part for the Association of Justice Counsel, a union that represents about 2,600 federal lawyers. […]
‘Highly problematic’ court decision could affect union access to workplaces: PSAC
The Public Service Alliance of Canada is considering taking a case to the Supreme Court, after what it calls a “highly problematic” ruling by a lower court that will threaten union access to workplaces and have “far-reaching” consequences for unions across the country. In October, the Federal Court of Appeal quashed a 2016 decision by the […]
MPs, staff have ‘a few issues’ with Phoenix, but House not scrapping it: Speaker’s Office
The House of Commons is not looking to opt out of the problem-plagued Phoenix pay system, the Speaker’s office says, despite some MPs and their staff reporting problems. “There have been a few issues with pay but the House administration does not have a record of the total amounts related to underpayment or overpayments resulting […]
Procurement staff supply not meeting demand, says purchasing watchdog
A dearth of knowledgeable procurement staff has led to federal organizations “cannibalizing” specialists from one another to fill gaps throughout the public service, according to the government’s procurement watchdog. In his recently released annual report, interim procurement ombudsman Lorenzo Ieraci highlighted procurement capacity as something he first became aware of when he joined the office […]
Phoenix pay centre backlog grew by 8,000 last month
The backlog of public service pay cases went up by 8,000 in October, marking the third consecutive month of increases in the number of cases of public servants being overpaid, underpaid, or not paid at all under the problem-plagued Phoenix payroll system. The number of open cases waiting to be processed above the normal workload grew […]
Unions file complaints, want Treasury Board to pay up for not acting on new contracts on time
Two of the largest federal public service unions are set to file complaints this week against the government for missing deadlines to implement new collective agreements affecting up to 130,000 workers. The Professional Institute of the Public Service and the Public Service Alliance of Canada are going to the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and […]
Relations continue to sour between Hill security, employer, as written reprimands doled out
PARLIAMENT HILL—House of Commons security officers are being pulled into meetings to receive written reprimands from their Parliamentary Protective Service employers over continued protest actions, and House security union head Roch Lapensée says amid the unprecedented labour standoff, morale has never been so low. “Some of them have over 25 years service, never been reprimanded […]
Hill construction on track, House expenses rise, MPs hear in first public Commons Board of Internal Economy meeting
The powerful House of Commons Board of Internal Economy met for the first time in public last week, ending years of secrecy over the board’s activities. MPs heard the cost to run the House of Commons rose $33-million last year to nearly $546-million. Public Services and House officials also updated board members on three big […]
