Human Resources and Skills Development Canada / Service Canada

 

British Columbia/Alberta/Yukon/Northwest Territories/Nunavut

 

Union/Management Consultation Committee (UMCC)

 

 

Date:                          Wednesday May 05, 2010

 

In Attendance:        

 

Union

Union

Pat Wakefield                       NVP CEIU, BC/YT

Sandy MacDonald               NVP CEIU, AB/NT/NU

Dianne Mitchell                    Alternate NVP CEIU, BC/YT

Gary Soo                               Representative ACFO

Rodney Smelser                  Representative CAPE

 

Management

Lynn Jackson                       A/Executive Head of Service Management

Heather Backhouse                        A/Executive Director, Citizen Services, BC/YT

Pat Chaba                             Executive Director, Integrity Services, BAT

Stacey Davies                      Senior HR Advisor, Human Resource Services West

John Jackson                       Executive Director, Citizen Services, AB/NT/NU                      

Anne Milne                           Executive Director, Processing and Payment Services

Jackson McKiee                   Executive Director, Strategic Services

Joanne Krepakevich           Manager Labour Relations, Human Resource Services

Lucia MacLean                    Director, CFOB

Jan Fix                                   A/Chief of Staff, EHSMO

Karen Duncan                     Director, Human Resources Services West

Mary Jane MacLennan       Director, Social Development Programs for Hal Howie

 

 

Support to the Committee:

Betsy Oster                            Manager, Accountability, Knowledge and Information

 

Regrets:                   

Bond Hardie                         Representative PIPSC, AB/NT/NU

Hal Howie                             Executive Director, LMSDP

Sandy            Stor                             Director, Western IT Services

 

 

Record of Discussion

 

Action

1. Opening Remarks

·         Lynn Jackson, Pat Wakefield and Sandy MacDonald welcomed everyone to the meeting.

·         Item 6 related to Selection leave was deleted from the agenda at the union’s request as clarification on the item had previously been received.

 

2.  EHSM Update

i) 2010-11 Budget

·         We have been advised on the resourcing levels for the region.  This is the 2nd year of EAP – last year we had a large increase in the Service Canada workload and consequently we increased resourcing levels to support Canadians.  This is the final year of EAP and our resourcing levels have been reduced due to declining workloads in EI and Work Sharing.

·         We will not have work for some of the terms hired last year so we will need to carefully manage our HR regime.  Have had modest reductions in some business lines and we are looking across business lines and to other departments to try to place these individuals.

 

ii) Western Region

·         We had a joint Executive Committee meeting in Winnipeg April 22 & 23.  At this meeting we were joined by some of our NHQ colleagues – Gina Rallis, ADM HR and Mike Saucier, A/ CFO in CFOB.  Andy Netzel also joined us in his role of incoming EHSM of this larger western region.

·         This meeting provided us with an opportunity to discuss both short and long term transition plans in our business lines.

·         Although the new region will not be officially in place until June 01, it was decide that we would meet as one EC from this date forward.

·         We will be rolling our separate committees into a single structure so that we have only one RMC, HRC, and VMTC 

·         We are also pursuing common communication and decision making strategies.

 

iii) CFOB Transfer

·         Local office CFOB staff that previously reported to national headquarters will be reporting to the region.

Currently working on a MoU to determine responsibilities.  As well, we are still working on other details such as reporting relationships.

 

 

Lynn Jackson had to leave the meeting and Anne Milne assumed the Chairing of the Meeting.

 

3. Standing Items -

 

Site Lead Contacts

·         The update site contact list was reviewed

 

Business line Updates

i) Integrity – Pat Chaba

·         Significant hiring last fiscal year in the clerical component of Integrity.  Hope to maintain clerical staff this year and are looking at improving their clerical capacity. Will be seeking VMTC approval to establish hiring pools.

·         Currently have 36 “sunset” terms – 10 officers and 26 clerks.

·         Union requested additional information on the impact of enhanced authorities for CR04.  Pat advised that the enhanced authorities have not been implemented as yet but classification has advised that the enhanced authorities will not impact the CR 04 classification level.   Consultation with the union took place at the national level.

Action:  Union requested information on when the consultation took place at the national level.

 

ii) Citizen Services BC/YT – Heather Backhouse

·         CS increased staffing last year to build capacity, implement EAP measures, implement SMSM (outreach officers), and increase bilingual capacity for the Olympics.

·         This year CS will regularize staffing to meet SMSM requirements.  Some terms will be released due to decreased workload.  Will be looking at opportunities for term employees in other business lines.

Action: Union requested the number of terms that have been released from CS.

·         The union was advised that decisions on who will be released depended on the impact on the office; the need for bilingual capacity; and individual performance.

·         Unions were also advised that individuals are advised that they are being monitored for both learning and performance requirements and those individuals are aware that retention decisions are made as a result of this monitoring.

 

iii)LMSDP – Mary Jane MacLennan

·         LMSDP is still assessing their staffing needs in relation to SMSM and the western region delivery structure.

 

iv) Strategic Services – Jackson McKiee

·         Strat Services had hired three additional staff to cope with additional EAP workload.  These three casual staff have now been released.

·         Strat Services is close to having its SMSM approved and is now developing work descriptions.  Hope to normalize staff in near future.  Expect to do some hiring in the “Privacy” area but will be working with P&P to align staff.

·         Union was advised that they expect to have some EC positions in Strat services under the SMSM.

 

v) Citizen Services - Alta & Ter. – John Jackson

·         Overall salary levels down from last year.  Staffing build up was mainly done with casuals who have subsequently been let go.  Staffing gap will be handled mainly through attrition.

 

vi) Processing & Payment  – Anne Milne

·         Have previously recognized the need to manage workloads across the west rather than in our region alone.  Intake volumes have been decreasing since Dec. 2009.  Our EI allocation for 2010-11 is down from last year.  Resourcing levels for CPP/OAS, IPOC, and AIC/AIG remain about the same as last year and CEP is down to 5 FTE's.  EI attrition is quite high at 15% which has helped us adjust down to the new budgetary levels. 16 CR-04 Terms in the Specialized Processing Centre were not extended when their terms expired at the end of March 2010. In addition to AIG, ACG and CEP, the Specialized Processing Centre is also assisting LMSDP in processing CJS as well as processing work-sharing for BC agreements. Some Winnipeg IPOC terms are being deployed to INAC at the end of May and the work these folk are doing will be moved to Calgary

 

Action:

Anne Milne to provide the number of individuals that left during the 4th quarter of 2009-10.  Will also provide the number of terms and sunset terms remaining in the BAT Region.

Note:  Anne Milne has advised that 133 staff departed from PPS during the 4th quarter of 2009-10, 46 were indeterminate the rest were terms and casual.

Anne has also provided an update on the number of term employees in BAT Region Processing and Payment Services in April 2010.  PPS has a total of 284 term employees of which 140 are sunset term employees and 144 are regular term employees.  The breakdown is as follows: EI - 146 term employees of which 119 are sunset term employees; Business Expertise/ Specialized Processing and Pensions has 138 term employees of which 21 are sunset term employees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pat Chaba

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heather Backhouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anne Milne

Completed

 

4. Governance

VMTC Terms of Reference were reviewed.

 

RUMCC 

·         Membership in the UMCC will be discussed when the Terms of Reference are discussed for the UMCC for the western region.  Diane Mitchell as the NVP for Women will be considered for membership at that time.

·         Terms of Reference will be discussed at the next joint MB-SK & BAT RLMCC meeting in June.

 

Western Region Union Management Consultation Committee

·         Union advised that NVPs for the West will be holding a meeting on May 18 and will be better prepared to respond and discuss after that date.

Unions advised that they supported having one UMCC for the West.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Betsy Oster

6. Annual Leave

·         The BAT region A/L policy for P & P is posted on the P & P web-site.  Initially the leave requests are reviewed at each single location.  If there is a concern, a region wide check is done. 

·         Both Union & management have had very few complaints on the policy

·         It was clarified that this is a P & P policy; not a departmental policy.

 

 

7. Hours of Work

·         Union was advised that the Specialized Unit in Edmonton was no longer in operation. No further discussion required.

 

 

8. Overtime Processing – follow –up item from previous meeting:

Union concerned that the information provided at the previous meeting was not consistent with actual practice.  Lucia MacLean confirmed that some offices were assisting with data entry of O/T OT? as Compensation & Benefits were backlogged.  This practice will be suspended as C & B have set up a data entry unit and currently only have a one day backlog.

 

 

9. Career Laddering Project

·         Management stated they are hoping to issue a poster for this opportunity at the end of May.  Anne Milne is exploring options on how to deal with employees whose term end date is prior to the conclusion of the training and monitoring period.. She is open to having the process open only to indeterminate employees and/or running a traditional selection process simultaneously. Other suggestions welcome.

 

Action:

Union representatives are asked to provide their input to Anne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pat, Diane, Sandy, Gary, Rodney, Bond

10. Accommodations Update

·         The Accommodations plan for 2010-11 was reviewed.

·         1230 Government St upgrades are a priority for the regional allocation.

 

 

11. Employee Assistance Services – from previous meeting

·         HR advised that the question on the intake form was very open-ended and that is probably the reason the data on union referrals was not accurate.

 

 

12. Call Centres

·         EI, CPP/OAS Call Centres will be reporting regionally through P&P.  Communications and accountability plans are currently being prepared.  Managers in both call centres have been invited to participate in the P & P management team.

·          NHQ will be advising when call centres will be reporting to the region.

·         The SMSM for call centres is currently being developed.

 

 

13. Closing Remarks

·         All felt it was a good meeting.

·         Looking forward to having the next Western Region  UMCC in-person

 

14. Next Meeting – Western RUMCC meeting

Date:  Tuesday June 29

Location: Thorton Room at:

 

Courtyard by Marriott Edmonton

One Thornton Court

99 Street & Jasper Avenue

Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2E7

Telephone Direct: 780-945-4735

www.courtyardedmontondowntown.com