Most unionized PS workers have contracts, but mental health, wages sticking points for holdouts
Seven federal public service union groups have been negotiating new contracts for so long that even if they reach a deal within the next month they will be back negotiating their next collective agreements come mid-2018, say unions. The Treasury Board negotiates 27 contracts for which it is considered the employer with 15 different core […]
Feds underestimated complexity, ignored concerns about Phoenix pay system, review finds
An independent report on the problem-plagued Phoenix pay system rollout released Thursday says the government underestimated its complexity. Public Services and Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough (Delta, B.C.) apologized to affected public servants in an Oct. 5 press conference, and said the review confirmed many of the thoughts she already had. She noted fixing the pay […]
Hill security screeners begin protests over stalled contract talks
Parliament Hill’s security screeners are ramping up protests against their bosses as their frustration grows over the glacial pace of negotiations toward reaching a new contract, with the most recent one expiring nearly four years ago. Unionized security screeners, who belong to the Public Service Alliance of Canada, rallied outside the Confederation Building on Oct. 4, wearing buttons […]
Trudeau shuffles cabinet committee members
The prime minister quietly shuffled his cabinet committee membership last month in the wake of August’s cabinet shuffle, adding in new ministers and moving up Labour Minister Patty Hajdu, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos into chair positions. A Sept. 19 update of the cabinet committee list on the prime […]
Union head warns of bullying ‘epidemic’ in public service, asks Trudeau to strike committee to investigate
The head of a federal public service union has called on the government to strike a committee to examine bullying and harassment in the ranks of its workers, a move the NDP’s labour critic says he would support. Todd Panas, the national president of the Union of Health and Environment Workers, made the request in […]
Phoenix pay system backlog increased by 20,000 cases this month
The backlog of cases carried out through the Phoenix pay system rose 20,000 in the last month because processing pay changes from new collective agreements proved to be “more complex and time consuming than initially anticipated,” according to a Sept. 29 government update. The number of pay changes waiting to be processed grew from 237,000 on Aug. […]
Health Canada, CBSA under ‘wasteful spending’ reviews; Brison overseeing cabinet colleagues’ work
The federal health and public safety ministers are leading special reviews of their own institutions this year, looking for wasteful spending and obsolete programs, while Treasury Board President Scott Brison oversees their work. A Conservative MP on the Government Operations and Estimates Committee compared the arrangement to “having a fox in charge of the henhouse,” […]
Union worried feds could turn back on IT workers post-Phoenix
The head of one of the largest public service unions is warning the government not to contract to an outside company the ongoing maintenance of the problem-plagued Phoenix pay system once it’s working properly. “I have yet to get a commitment, although I will be seeking it firmly, that they will not contract out the […]
Nearly $13.4-million cost, risk management contract awarded for Centre Block renovation
PARLIAMENT HILL—U.K.-based construction and project management consultancy firm Turner & Townsend has been awarded a roughly $13.4-million risk management services contract to oversee Centre Block’s multi-million dollar renovation. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May announced the contract award as she flew into Ottawa for her recent visit on Sept. 18, as described in a news release […]
It’s crunch-time on the Hill: getting ready for Centre Block’s big move in summer 2018
PARLIAMENT HILL—It’s crunch-time for renovations on Parliament Hill, with completion deadlines coming up next summer for the West Block, the Government Conference Centre, and the first phase of the new underground Visitors’ Welcome Centre. Construction work has already been actively ongoing on the Hill for a decade, and by 2018 this massive undertaking will have […]
