Federal public servants are being threatened with legal action if they don’t repay money they were mistakenly overpaid during the error-plag
Federal public servants are being threatened with legal action if they don’t repay money they were overpaid during the error-plagued rollout of the Phoenix pay system nearly a decade ago, Radio-Canada has learned.
The government has authorized private debt collection companies to pursue repayment from those recipients, some of whom left government years ago and were never informed of the overpayments, according to Canada's largest federal public sector union.
In some instances, tax refunds, tax credits and federal benefits are being withheld and interest is being added to balances, according the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which is calling on the government to stop pursuing overpayments that fall outside a six-year limitation period.
I've been hearing a lot about the WGA strike, and I thought I'd share a story of my own.
My mother's union(PSAC) went on strike a few weeks ago. It's been resolved now, but when they decided to strike, there hadn't been a signed contract in two years. That means there were no cost of living raises, no changes in work from home policies, no changes AT ALL. That means over that time, her wage effectively DECREASED by over 10%.
PSAC went to the table, and asked for cost of living +2% wage increases, over the course of three years and a more flexible work from home policy. The government offered them a 8.25% over 4 years. SIGNIFICANTLY less than inflation. A year and a half later, they offer a 9% increase over 3 years(not even enough to catch up with cost of living RIGHT NOW, let alone throughout the contract) and no work from home. This was, frankly, insulting. So, PSAC decided to strike.
Her union has 150,000 workers. The largest strike in Canadian history. 150,000 people who had the value of their work ignored. 150,000 people who said THIS IS ENOUGH.
One of the most genuinely shocking things, to me, was how anti-union the news was. CBC, which generally aligns with my bias pretty well(they claim to be unbiased but we alllllll know how that goes), would not stop talking about how much it was affecting the public, and how the union should have taken the deal, and how dare people only be able to go to the passport office if it's urgent! To be clear, necessary services were still being provided. The public impact was not that huge. However, not ONCE did CBC talk about why the union hadn't taken the deal or how the workers(who got strike pay less than minimum wage) were being affected.
Now, I see the same thing happening with the WGA strike. Sooooo many people and news places are talking about how their favorite shows might be canceled, or maybe the next season will be bad, or or or ect ect. I and it's so frustrating.
In the end, my mom's union got 12% over 4 years(still not cost of living) and a more flexible work from home. I hope the WGA has better luck.
The federal government says it continues to negotiate with the union representing more than 155,000 federal public servants, and has tabled
The federal government says it continues to negotiate with the union representing more than 155,000 federal public servants, and has tabled what it calls a "final" offer that addresses the four main issues at the bargaining table.
Government negotiators made the offer to the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) on Friday. In a news release Saturday, the Treasury Board Secretariat called it a "fair, competitive and reasonable final offer."
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PSAC confirmed Friday that it received the offer but expected negotiations to continue into the weekend.
"We hope to continue bargaining this weekend in order to reach a fair deal for our 120,000 federal public service members," the statement said. "Talks are also ongoing for our 35,000 members at Canada Revenue Agency."
“PSAC came to the table in good faith, but instead of using this opportunity to deliver a fair deal for our members, the government walked away.”
September 7, 2019
The Liberal government has squandered one last pre-election opportunity to deliver a fair deal at the bargaining table for PSAC members, as well as to provide proper compensation for damages caused by the Phoenix pay system.
Approximately half of the 140,000 federal public service workers currently in negotiations returned to the bargaining table when the Program and Administrative Services (PA) unit, representing 71,000 PSAC members, resumed negotiations with Treasury Board on Sunday September 1.
The government refused to meet PSAC’s key demands despite six continuous days of bargaining. Their wage offer fell short of providing PSAC members – the largest group of workers in the federal public service – with even the equivalent wage increase that was negotiated with other federal bargaining agents.
The government once again also proposed to short-change PSAC members for the pain and suffering caused by Phoenix. After finally agreeing to cash compensation rather than days of leave, the government’s offer remained meagre and insufficient to recognize the damages inflicted on public service workers over the last four years.
“We had made it clear to Treasury Board that we would return to the bargaining table, but only to discuss an improved offer—one that includes annual wage increases that meet or exceed inflation, improved work-life balance – and equitable monetary compensation for the Phoenix nightmare,” said PSAC National President Chris Aylward.
“PSAC came to the table in good faith, but instead of using this opportunity to deliver a fair deal for our members, the government walked away.”
Due to a federal election set to be called in the coming days, there will be no additional opportunities to return to the bargaining table until after the election is concluded. In the months after the election, negotiations will continue while PSAC undertakes preparations for possible strike action for the bargaining units listed below.
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What PSAC units are currently negotiating new contracts with the federal government?
Nine PSAC units covering 140,000 workers in the federal government are currently negotiating new contracts. All the units below, except for Border Services (FB), are awaiting hearings at their respective Public Interest Commission (PIC).
