Since our contract with CRA expired in 2012, the government has agreed to economic improvements for tens of thousands of fellow public service employees, improvements that greatly exceed what we've been offered.
For example:
Virtually every group signed a 3-year agreement of 1.75, 1.5 and 2. This has not been tabled in our case. Instead the CRA and Treasury Board have insisted that our 3rd year be pegged to the PA group at Treasury Board, rather than negotiate with us on the 3rd year.
As part of their settlement with the government, our former co-workers in the FB group at CBSA now receive an additional $1250.00 annual, on-going allowance worth an average of 1.8% increase, plus a $500.00 lump sum payout.
The government agreed to an additional 1.5% increase for the EG classification, which represents more than 60% of the TC bargaining unit.
For the CX group, the government agreed to an additional, on-going annual allowance of $1750.
For the LA Group, the government agreed to a wage grid restructuring worth an additional 10%.
The new contract for the Treasury Board EC group includes a new wage increment worth 3.45% at the top of the pay grid, applicable to all employees in the bargaining unit.
For the FI group, the government agreed to an increase in vacation entitlement and the rolling in of transitional allowance into salary.
For the FS group, the government agreed to an additional, new wage increment worth 4.0% for FS1 and FS2 and further increase via wage grid restructuring for the FS3 level.
For many other groups, the government agreed to the rolling in of terminable allowances, meaning an increase in pensionable wages.
For the PA bargaining unit, which CRA insists that we be compared to, the government agreed in 2011 to a new wage increment worth 5.5% for WP-4’s and an additional Retention Allowance for AS-2’s (Compensation Advisors) worth $2,000 a year.
In fact, even our own employer - CRA - reached a settlement in 2012 for the AFS group that included various grid restructuring giving additional pay increases ranging from 1.2% to 8.8% over and above the general wage increases. These adjustments covered over 4000 AFS members.
These are but a few examples. The Commissioner failed to mention any of this in his communication to us. What’s more, while it’s true that they have tabled one week’s vacation for all employees, it is a one-time benefit and not an on-going increase to our annual leave. And at present our current severance entitlement is continuing to accrue. It would not under CRA’s offer.
We deserve better. We call on the government and CRA to finally bargain compensation with us.
PSAC/UTE members at Canada Revenue Agency
United for a Fair Contract