Federal workers protest redress for Phoenix pay failure

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This article was published 05/06/2019 (1785 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Marching down Broadway, Lisa Robillard and France Tremblay held a banner that read “BURNT BY PHOENIX”. Behind the banner and noise of whistling and chanting, Robillard and Tremblay represent just two of approximately 150 public servants who gathered yesterday to express their dissatisfaction with the federal government’s most recent plan to offer reparation for the flawed Phoenix pay system.

According to a press release Thursday, the new contract offer included 1.5 per cent wage increase per year.

The union has also rejected the federal government’s offer for general compensation to union members impacted by Phoenix. The federal government’s offer included 1.25 days of leave per year, for the past four years.

Since the computerized pay system was implemented in 2016, it has caused overpayment, under payment, and no payment for hundreds of thousands of public servants.

Robillard, who says her paycheck has been affected by Phoenix for the past two years, feels devastated.

“You’re trying your best to get by and life can’t just happen the way it should because you’re always scrambling,” said Robillard

In the release, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) said it declared an impasse in negotiations with the Treasury Board.

Marianne Hladun, the prairie region executive vice president for PSAC, said although she wants to return to the bargaining table, she’s not sure the government is ready to provide a reasonable offer.

“It’s really up to the employer to come up with a system that works. We’ve heard promises before so I’m not going to hold my breath. What they need to realize is that this is still a priority and we’ve had concerns for a while that they’re not taking it as serious as they should,” said Hladun.

Crystal Warner, national vice-president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union, said the inconsistencies with the pay system have a trickle-down effect in the city.

“Mental health is a huge problem for our members right now and here in Winnipeg alone we have thousands of federal public sector workers. If they’re not getting a paycheck that means they can’t go buy groceries, it means they can’t give back to community stores, it means that they’re not consuming in their city. So it’s affecting everyone,” said Warner.

A report released last month from the parliamentary budget officer states “a new system cannot be launched until 2023 based on Treasury Board Secretariat estimates.”

Warner said despite promises broken by the Trudeau government, unions are concerned about what a Conservative government could do.

“Is it better to work and not be paid? Or is it better to just not have a job?” she said.

“I don’t know, but those seem to be our choices.”

As the lunch hour protest came to an end, public servants returned to their respective office buildings to work yet another day they may not receive proper compensation for.

nadya.pankiw@freepress.mb.ca