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This is a work in progress. Information will be posted as
soon as it is made available
Complete the Devolution Survey
here
and email
to Dianne Mitchell, Committee Chair
Devolution
_____________________________________
June 12, 2008
Updated pension information for BC members moving to province
Members transferring to the BC government as a result of the
Labour Market Agreement now have updated pension information available to them.
The first document
compares
the federal and BC pension plans while the second provides
additional pension
information in a question and answer format.
August 1st 2008 LMDA - ETA News #6 - (more
here)
_____________________________________
May 21 2008 LMDA - ETA News #4 - (more
here)
_____________________________________
April 14th, 2008
LMDA - ETA News #3 - (more
here)
_____________________________________
April 14th, 2008
- WFA COMMITTEE UPDATE #3 - (more
here)
_____________________________________
March 26, 2008 - ETA Bulletin #2 -
Employer's List for Transfers - (more
here)
_____________________________________
March 5, 2008 - ETA Bulletin #1 - Talks Underway between
the Employer and BC
Negotiation of an Employee Transfer
Agreement (ETA) for Programs staff is underway between the two governments.
(more
here)
_____________________________________
E mail from Con Leonidas (March 4th, 2008)
on behalf of Pat Wakefield, National Vice-President, CEIU,to advise that a Work
Force Adjustment (WFA) Committee has been established in this region.
Further to Lynn Jackson's LMDA Update #7 I am writing on behalf of Pat
Wakefield, National Vice-President, CEIU, and myself to advise that a Work Force
Adjustment (WFA) Committee has been established in this region.
The WFA Committee held its initial meeting on Tuesday, February 26th so we
wanted, as early as possible, to give you an idea of what to expect in the
coming weeks.
The WFA Committee is co-chaired by myself and Pat Wakefield, National
Vice-President Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU). Members include
Diane Mitchell, Program Officer, Chilliwack and Alternate National Vice
President; Julie Paul, National Representative CEIU; Arlene Evans and Bonnie
Smith, Senior Human Resources Consultants; and Elaine Wyse, Manager Compensation
and Benefits. We expect to be joined by Patricia Willey, Program Operations
Consultant, Coquitlam; Gerry Kowalinko, Aboriginal Affairs Consultant; as well
as Howie West, and James Infantino, National Officers with Public Service
Alliance of Canada, both of whom participated in the LMDA process in the Ontario
Region last year. We will also seek support from resource people as required,
including from the Government of B.C. and colleagues from National Headquarters.
The WFA Committee is a union-management consultative body established under
the WFA Directive (WFAD) which is part of the PA Collective agreement. The WFA
Committee will play a key role in the implementation of the LMDA by ensuring the
concerns of staff are addressed in a meaningful and timely manner and in
ensuring staff are kept well informed as we move forward.
The first task for the WFA Committee is to discuss the provisions of the
Employee Transfer Agreement (ETA). This was started in our Feb. 26th meeting.
The ETA will set out the terms and conditions for the transfer of Service Canada
employees to B.C. and will identify the employees to be transferred. The process
of drafting the ETA and identifying the staff that will be transferred to B.C.
has begun but it has not been finalized.
It is important to understand that the ETA is part of the
government-to-government negotiation of the LMDA. Although the union will be
consulted in this regard it is not a signatory to the LMDA or the ETA.
There is already a great deal of speculation about the number of Service
Canada employees to be transferred to B.C. While it is far too early to be able
to confirm an exact number, you may be guided by ministerial announcements which
have said "up to 250."
As you already know, the LMDA provides that the transfer of Service Canada
staff to B.C. will occur on February 2, 2009. Taking into account the various
notice periods provided for in the WFA Directive, we estimate that affected
staff can expect to receive a written job offer from B.C. by the end of July
2008. This means we have five short months to finalize the ETA, communicate with
affected staff, and undertake joint union-management information sessions.
Please note, staff that transfer will have up to one year after the transfer to
decide what to do with their pension.
At this point, we are just beginning to grapple with the many details
involved in such a complex process. The next meetings of the WFA Committee are
scheduled for March 13-14th and March 19th. At that time we will be in a better
position to provide you more detail about plans, timeframes, communication tools
and other resources. For the present, if you have questions please direct them
to your Director, Manager or union representative.
A number of web sites already exist which provide valuable background
information. These include:
BC Regional LMDA site, http://webcenter.bc.prv/nlma/index.shtml
Ontario regional LMDA site, http://agora.on.prv/english/lmda/
National and Regional CEIU sites, http://www.ceiu-seic.ca/page_2050.cfm,
http://www.ceiu.net/
WFA Directive, http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/coll_agre/table1-7_e.asp#_Toc97597127
Pension Transfer Agreement, http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/hr-rh/bp-rasp/pensions/wyo-evo/wyo-evo07_e.asp
Con Leonidas Pat Wakefield A/Director Human Resources Services National
Vice-President B.C./Yukon Region CEIU
_____________________________________
Email from Andy Netzel February 20, 2008 -
Signing of two Labour Market Agreements
From: Netzel, Andy [AB-NT-NU]
Sent: 2008-02-20 9:30 AM
To: AB-NT-NU; BC-YT
Cc: Oster, Betsy [BC-YT]
Subject: Canada-British Columbia sign Labour Market Agreements
Good morning,
As referenced in the message from the Deputy Ministers, earlier this morning
the Governments of Canada and British Columbia signed two Labour Market
Agreements in Vancouver. In particular, I would like to focus on today ' s
signing of the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA).
As you know, the LMDA has implications for many Service Canada employees. As
part of the agreement, some Service Canada employees and their positions will be
transferred to the Province of British Columbia as of February 02, 2009. We are
in the process of finalizing an Employee Transfer Agreement (ETA) that details
the human resource considerations that fall within the scope of the LMDA. An ETA
must be signed by both governments before the Province can make any formal job
offers to federal employees.
My top priority is the fair and equitable treatment of all Service Canada
employees that will be transferred to the Province and those that remain. A
joint Federal/Provincial Transition Committee has been struck to develop a plan
for a smooth and effective employee transition. Lynn Jackson, Senior Director,
Citizen Services BC/YT will serve as Federal Co-Chair on the Committee and you
can expect to hear more from this group in the coming weeks.
Without a doubt, you will have many questions, some of which we will be
able to answer shortly, and others for which answers will come as further
developments are made. Your manager will play a critical role as your key source
of information and dialogue as we proceed. In addition, you can find information
on our regional LMDA Intranet site located at
http://webcenter.bc.prv/nlma/index.shtml.
On this site, you will find the LMDA itself, the LMDA news release, and
the questions and answers I have attached to this message. More questions and
answers will be posted as they develop. If you have personal or specific
questions related to your particular situation, I encourage you to discuss them
with your manager.
As we move through implementation, I know you will be mindful that
Service Canada is fully accountable for all activities covered by the LMDA until
the transfer to the Province occurs on February 2, 2009. I thank you for your
continued dedication and co-operation and I will ensure you are kept up to date
as the implementation process unfolds.
Andy Netzel
Regional Executive Head
BC, Alberta and the Territories Region Service Canada
1-780-495-2424
andy.netzel@servicecanada.gc.ca
_____________________________________
Message from Deputy Ministers February 20th,
2007
From: NC-COMM-SERVICE-CANADA-GD
Sent: 2008-02-20 9:00 AM
To: NC-COMM-SERVICE-CANADA-GD
Subject: Annonce concernant les ententes relatives au marché du travail /
Labour Market Agreement Announcement
Today, the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia signed
two agreements that are the first in a series of labour market agreements with
provincial and territorial governments to be finalized over the coming weeks and
months.
The new Labour Market Agreement (LMA) and the Labour Market Development
Agreement (LMDA) responsibility now assumed by British Columbia support the
Government of Canada's goal to create a well-educated, highly skilled and
flexible workforce. In signing these agreements, the federal government
recognizes that provinces and territories are best placed to design and deliver
employment services that respond to their labour market needs. Further to the
Budget 2007 commitment on LMDAs, we are currently engaged in similar discussions
with Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Yukon. We
will keep employees informed of developments.
The agreement for British Columbia to assume responsibility for design and
delivery of employment programs and services through the LMDA takes effect on
February 2, 2009. Our employees in British Columbia who are currently working to
deliver employment services to citizens will receive job offers from the
province to move into the provincial government to continue delivering these
services. Employees will receive more information about the agreement and its
implications from their Regional Executive Head over the coming days. As was the
case in the eight other jurisdictions where similar arrangements have been
implemented over the years, unions will be engaged in the coming weeks to help
with the transition.
We will provide more information as it becomes available, and we want to
thank you for your dedication in serving the needs of British Columbians. We
recognize that this period of transition will create uncertainty and we are
committed to maintaining open lines of communication with all employees
involved.
Janice Charette
Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Canada
Munir A. Sheikh
Deputy Minister of Labour
Hélène Gosselin
Deputy Head of Service Canada
Associate Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development
Canada
Kathy O'Hara
Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social
Development Canada
_____________________________________
Many of us are impacted by the imminent transfer of Federal Employees to the
Province of British Columbia. It is hoping that these links will
be helpful in any decisions you need to make:
-
Devolution Committee for British Columbia
includes (1a to 2c)
-
The new devolution
committee for British Columbia/Yukon region
i.
Committee Objective
ii.
Committee Expectations
-
Information to
assist you in making an informed decision
a.
Treasury Board
information on benefits, pension, health, dental, long term disability etc
b.
BCGEU master
collective agreement
c.
BCGEU Benefits
etc.
3.
Work Description Service Delivery Agent (Income
Security Programs)
4.
Work description Programs Operations
Consultant
5.
Work description Community Services
Assistant
6.
Work description Programs Officer
7.
Applying for a job in the Federal Public Service
8.
Sample Resume
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Questions |
Excerpts |
| Federal employees were transferred to
the Province of Ontario January of 2007.
What was the result
of the negotiations between Canada and Ontario? |
"there is no carry-over
of sick leave credits to the province. Each employee will have, at
their disposal as of January 1, 2007, 6 days of sick leave at 100% of
salary and 124 days of sick leave at 75%..." |
| What does the British Columbia Government
Employees Union say about leave provisions, etc.? (See
here for
all BCGEU agreements) |
"The BCGEU also
negotiates several province-wide contracts , including the provincial
government service, community health , community social services, and
other sectors." |
| What does the Canadian Centre for
Management Development say about
Human Resource Transfers? |
"One of the more
dramatic though not unprecedented features of the LMDAs involves the
transfer of a substantial number of HRDC employees to the provincial
public sector in those provinces with a devolution type agreement.31 The
numbers range from 170 employees in the case of New Brunswick, 204 in
the case of Alberta, to 1,084 in the case of Quebec.32 This transfer was
dramatic in the sense that both large numbers and a fair bit of
trepidation on the part of employees were involved; and unprecedented
because transfers of this order and magnitude had not been attempted
previously, at least outside of Quebec,..." |
|
What did the Formative Evaluation of the Canada/Alberta Labour Market
Development Agreement say? |
"Consistent comments
across all sites indicated that staff were not adequately prepared for
implementation of the LMDA and there was limited or no consultation with
them prior to its initiation. On November 1, 1997 many staff either
"crossed the street" or walked in the same door as the day before only
to find a new, sometimes confusing and often frustrating work
environment where the rules were developed to deal with emerging
circumstances and then communicated by e-mail. Of all sites, Calgary had
the most difficult adjustment and over a year later, some of the issues
associated with the transition were still fresh in the minds of staff." |
|
What kind of agreement did they have in Manitoba? |
"When completed and
signed, this Annex to the Canada-Manitoba Labour Market Development
Agreement will consist of the Employee Transfer Agreement. In the
interim, it contains a description of selected elements of the Employee
Transfer Agreement on which Canada and Manitoba already have agreed." |
|
What kind of agreement did they have in Quebec? |
"The Employee Transfer
Agreement (ETA) describes in detail the offer made by Québec to the
employees currently in the employ of Human Resources Development Canada
(HRDC) who are affected by the Canada-Québec Labour Market Agreement in
Principle." |
|
What does the Canada-New Brunswick Agreement on Labour Market
Development say?
Related link |
"12.1 New Brunswick
agrees to make an irrevocable offer of indeterminate employment to
Indeterminate Employees of Canada representing not more than 170 full
time equivalents (FTEs), including such employees on an authorized leave
of absence, who are: a. employed at HRDC immediately prior to the
transfer date, b. affected by New Brunswick's decision to expand its
role in the design and delivery of labour market programs through the
implementation of the provincial benefits and measures, and assume
responsibility for certain functions of the National Employment
Service,..." |
|
What does the Canada-Saskatchewan Agreement on Labour Market Development
say? |
"12.2 Saskatchewan
undertakes that its offer of employment will constitute a Reasonable Job
Offer within the meaning of Part VII of Canada's Work Force Adjustment
Directive (WFAD) dated July 16, 1996, a copy of which has been provided
to Saskatchewan.
12.3 Saskatchewan will offer indeterminate
employees of Canada permanent status, effective at the time of the
transfer. Each transferred employee will be granted an employment
guarantee for a period of three years."
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