Dear members,
As you can no doubt guess, the biggest thing going on at PAFSO is the recent tentative agreement and the ongoing vote to ratify it.
Tentative agreement
On 9 May PAFSO’s Collective Bargaining Committee reached a tentative agreement with the Employer. The next day, the Executive Committee was unanimous in its recommendation that members agree to its terms and vote to ratify the agreement. Voting began this past Tuesday and will continue through to next Friday at noon, Ottawa time.
This agreement is the culmination of over six months of dedicated work by the Collective Bargaining Committee, comprised of lead negotiator, Paul Raven, myself and fellow Executive Committee members, William Dunlop and Logann McNamarra. General Manager Bertrand Myre and Advocacy and Stakeholder Relations Officer Daniel Pollak also participated as observers.
Although we would have liked to get you more, this is a solid deal. The economic gains it offers go a long way to eradicate our salary concerns. The tentative agreement represents an immediate increase of 8.25% and a total increase to the rates of pay of 13.4% when compounded over the four years of the agreement.
- July 1, 2022 – increase to rates of pay: 3.50%
- July 1, 2022 – wage adjustment: 1.25%
- July 1, 2023 – increase to rates of pay: 3.00%
- July 1, 2023 – pay line adjustment: 0.50%
- July 1, 2024 – increase to rates of pay: 2.00%
- July 1, 2024 – wage adjustment: 0.25%
- July 1, 2025 – increase to rates of pay: 2.00%
And, in addition to this, the Collective Bargaining Team has secured a $2,500 signing bonus for all members in FS positions on the date the agreement is signed.
But, beyond these significant economic gains, the tentative agreement brings with it several critical improvements to our previous collective agreements. These include:
- Advance notice of overtime will be provided by the Employer whenever possible. This is a significant commitment which should make the lives of many of our members, especially those in the MCO cadre, a little easier.
- The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is added to the list of designated paid holidays.
- The threshold for accessing four weeks of vacation drops from eight years to seven years of service – an important gain for our newest members.
- Bereavement leave expands to include the deaths of aunts and uncles.
- Family related leave with pay can now be used to visit a family member with an incurable illness, nearing the end of their life.
- “Genetic characteristics” has been added as a prohibited ground for discrimination.
- Indigenous employees will be provided with 15 hours paid and 22.5 hours unpaid leave per fiscal year to engage in traditional Indigenous practices.
- A new Memorandum of Agreement confirms the Employer’s commitment to continue consultations on the issue of the temperature-controlled shipment of medication to members abroad (also known as the Green Box issue).
- A new Memorandum of Agreement will allow denials of telework agreements to be reviewed by a new joint union-management panel.
- An Agreement in Principle commits PAFSO and the Employer to work together over time to make the language of the collective agreement gender neutral.
Information sessions
Hopefully, you were able to attend one of our two information sessions on the new agreement. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you still find yourself with questions concerning the agreement, please send them to questions@pafso-apase.com and we will try to answer them for you.
Ratification vote
The ratification vote period began this past Tuesday at noon and will remain open until next Friday, 26 May at noon, Ottawa time. According to Article 5(c) of PAFSO’s constitution, any member currently paying dues and registered in our database is entitled to vote. If you are not sure of your status, please reach out to us at vote@pafso-apase.com.
If you meet the above two conditions, you should have received your voter credential email from Intelivote Systems Inc. The email with the subject line “PAFSO Ratification Vote 2023 // Vote de ratification de l’APASE 2023” should have been sent to you by voterinfo@intelivote.com Tuesday morning. If you did not see this email in your inboxes, please search your spam, promotions and junk folders to make sure it hasn’t been misdirected. If you are still not finding you voter credential email, please let us know at vote@pafso-apase.com. If you are eligible to vote, we will have Intelivote send you new voter credentials.
May PAFSO Breakfast: Panel discussion on trauma in Foreign Service work
In non-bargaining news, as part of our continuing series of PAFSO Virtual Breakfasts, on 9 May, I had the honour of chairing a panel discussion on the issue of trauma and its effects on members of our profession. The panel featured Robyn Aaron, a former GAC child rights specialist who is now pursuing a career in counselling, providing support to professionals dealing with vicarious trauma, Joanna Ignaszewska, a member of GAC’s EAP team with a special interest in the topics of compassion fatigue, trauma and burnout, and members of the peer-led FS Well-Being Network, who shared their personal experiences. Although we were not able to record the session, you can reach out to Joanna at GAC or to Robyn at robynaaron@gmail.com.
June PAFSO Breakfast: Informal wisdom for the upcoming posting season
For our PAFSO Breakfast on 13 June, please join me for a discussion with Paul Raven on his informal wisdom for the upcoming posting season. As PAFSO’s expert on the Foreign Service Directives, Paul is in an excellent position to identify issues facing our members, and to offer suggestions on navigating through the posting process. You can register for the webinar here.
Springtime 5 à 7
After more than three years of entirely virtual events, I’m looking forward to our first in-person event. Last week you should have received the invitation to our upcoming happy hour, on Thursday, 8 June at 1700. Come join us on the rooftop terrace of the PAFSO offices for a glass of wine, some light snacks and a great chance to connect with friends and colleagues. If you would like to attend, please let us know by sending an email to info@pafso-apase.com with your name, department, and any food allergies or restrictions you may have. Make sure to RSVP before 5pm on 25 May. I look forward to seeing you there.
So, once again, these are quite busy and exciting times at PAFSO.
As always, for any of your concerns at work, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Send us an email with your name, department, and a detailed description of the issues you are facing. You will be connected to one of our Labour Relations Advisors who will be glad to assist you. Should you have any other questions, send them along to info@pafso.com and we will get back to you shortly.
Please don’t forget to cast your ballot to accept the draft tentative agreement between now and noon next Friday, May 26. Once again, I wish to thank Paul Raven, our lead negotiator, and the other members of the Collective Bargaining Committee, whose dedication and hard work have gotten us to where we are today. I look forward to discussing the next steps in my upcoming message. In the meantime, you can keep up to date with my advocacy work on a number of other files by checking out the new President’s Twitter account. Follow me at @PafsoPresApase for my take on current issues, politics, and everything else that impacts on our profession.
I’ll be in touch to share our ratification news as soon as we have it and will send my next regular message in two weeks. Until then, please take care of yourselves and each other.
All the best,
Pam Isfeld
President
@PafsoPresApase