The collective agreement, or contract, negotiated between the union and the employer, along with other legislation, sets out the terms and conditions of work. Whenever a member believes that his or her workplace rights have been violated, the UTE works with that member to try and resolve the problem informally. If that effort fails, the union will assist the member in filing a formal written “grievance” to management.
Unless management accepts the member’s grievance and acts to remedy the problem, depending on the type of grievance, it may be processed through five distinct levels.
The UTE Local representatives in the specific workplace where the problem occurred normally handle first and/or second level grievances. Third level grievances are generally submitted to the Agency’s Assistant Commissioners. These grievances are put forward and argued by UTE RVPs. The UTE Labour Relations Officers, working out of our national headquarters, handle final level grievances.
Should the issue still not be resolved to the member’s satisfaction, the PSAC can decide on the merits of the case whether to take the grievance to a quasi-legal forum called “adjudication”, if applicable.