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Wednesday January 7, 2009
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Wednesday January 7, 2009
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Workforce Adjustment Committee
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The committee met in Ottawa August 24-27/02 and a copy of the agenda is attached. At the time of preparation of the report (August 21/02) the minutes of the above noted meeting were not complete.
The chair and staff advisor met with the employer June 24/02 to discuss the employer’s interpretation of the WFAA, the recent PSSRB decision and the 4th level grievance replies on this subject. There is hope the employer understands the Union position better but only time will tell if in fact this is the case.
It has become apparent to the committee that the employer has initiated several WFA situations across the country that will have an effect on our members. There is an urgent need for all UTE reps to understand the obligations in the collective agreement dealing with workforce situations. Our members in the field are now receiving affected letters as a result of various employer actions and we all must be there for our members to ensure them that this is a right under the collective agreement when the employer declares a WFA situation.
A member receiving an affected letter "DOES NOT" mean the member will be laid off. It means that the work they are currently doing is being eliminated for various reasons. Their rights by receiving an affected letter are much improved if they did not get this notice.
Locals must immediately set up local WFA joint committees with the employer to ensure that every effort will be made to place the members in their current workplace. There is no guarantee that our members will remain in their current job but there should be assurance that they can be placed in a job at their equivalent level or salaried protected at a lower level.
The PSSRB has ruled in our favour and this must be enforced or further action(s) must be considered against the employer. The employer has agreed to a declaratory judgment in another recent PSSRB case. This basically means that the employer has conceded to the Union’s charges.
The committee will be asking the regions to strictly adhere to the terms and conditions of the WFAA on a consistent basis. We can no longer accept the employer’s position that they will "take care" of our members. The committee will be monitoring all WFA situations across the country with the assistance of the RVPs and the UTE National Office.
There is no more important issue to our members than job/employment security and it is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that our members’ rights are protected.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the committee, Marcel Bertrand council rep, Dave Shaw presidents rep, Margie Hancock TC rep and Pierre Mulvihill staff advisor for their work over the last year. Hopefully, they will have the opportunity to continue on the committee if they choose.
Respectfully submitted,
Nick Stein,
Chair of the Committee
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