Item 5

PRESIDENT’S FOLLOW UP ITEMS

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

DECEMBER 2002

·        The issue of the CS Standards and the Options Program was referred to the Staffing committee.  

·        I have had a discussion and followed it up with an e-mail to the PSAC regarding a commitment from them to support our Staffing grievances.  

·        Designations are coming along, all be it very slow.  The CCRA has been extremely slow in providing the information requested by the PSAC.  I have contacted Dan Tucker and advised him of the lack of speed regarding this process and he advised that he would follow this up.  I have a meeting with the PSAC on December 12^th to discuss the status of the designations and our next steps.  Mike MacDonald has advised me that it is better to challenge any designations early in the process rather than later.  We want to have the designation completed before we need to file for conciliation.  Based on our discussions the PSAC believes that we have some very viable challenges.  It is my intention that these challenges proceed long before we get embroiled in the bargaining process.  

·        The employer has written Nycole Turmel to set a meeting to discuss the MG PSAC and PIPSC pay scales.  This meeting is to seek ways and means to make sure that the inequities do not occur again.  I have not been advised of any date being set yet.  

·        I did refer the issue of a Newsletter to the Communications committee who will report this week.  

·        The issue of mandatory on-line applications was discussed with the CCRA.  There is some very confusing thinking on this issue.  We know that it is mandatory in several offices across the country, based on the show of hands of the local presidents.  We even have one written direction that came out of the Atlantic.  However, Head Office officials have stated that it is not mandatory and the members are only being encouraged to use on-line applications.  We have asked the CCRA to hold any mandatory use of the on-line application in abeyance until we can straighten this out.  Their initial response was not in the positive so I have contacted Dan Tucker to look into this issue.  Over and above this, the Tech Change committee has raised this issue as a tech change and we will deal with it in that forum.  A meeting is being arranged for the week after Council to see if this can be straightened out.  

·        All resolutions that were passed at our Convention that are going to the PSAC Convention have been revised and submitted to the PSAC.  We should know our delegate compliment in January.  We will advise all locals of all regions of their proper number of delegates as soon as we know how many the UTE is entitled.  All documents will be filed by the UTE for the delegates.  

·        There is a pilot going on in the CCRA regarding Official Languages.  A briefing meeting is being set up as soon as possible.  At this meeting I will clarify with them the CCRA’s position on use of language with clients and in internal documents.  

·        Our comments regarding the CCRA Harassment Policy were sent out to the locals.  

·        I have followed up with the PSAC President’s office on both Sun Life Cards and any reply from Madame Robillard regarding the Bilingual Bonus.  The deadline for NBOD items is the 18^th of December so if I have heard nothing on the Sun Life Cards I will submit a resolution to the Board attempting to make this a priority of the advisory committee.  They advised me that very shortly there is something coming out from the PSAC on the bilingual bonus issue.  As soon as we receive it we will forward it to the field.  

·        A call letter to all locals regarding our 2005 Convention was sent out.  I expect that interested locals have contacted their RVPs and we will be discussing this issue this week.  

·        A list of exclusions has been requested from the CCRA.  Once received we will share it with the Council.  

·        According to the evaluations of the President’s Conference the vast majority of the participants liked the new format.  Thus, we have arranged with the hotel to continue with it for 2003.  After receiving a concern regarding the Council seating for this conference I have made arrangements for the Council to be seated in the middle of the hall, between the local presidents and the observers.  

·        The CCRA has agreed to look at sending out a joint bulletin regarding “unauthorized accesses”.  I have yet to write the bulletin.  

·        I still need to write Bulletins on the MG Pay difference and the Detax campaign.