Phoenix Rises Again

On behalf of our members and in close collaboration with the other bargaining agents, the AJC has used virtually every available mechanism to put pressure on the Government and we continue to urge elected officials to do everything in their power to expedite a fix and ensure public servants have adequate access to resources.

We have used the tools provided to us aggressively:  we have filed policy grievances that capture past and future pay anomalies, we have brought a mandamus application in federal court, we have worked with the media to raise awareness and create pressure, we have demonstrated in front of the Office of the Prime Minister and of course, where possible, we have been assisting individual members with the most serious Phoenix problems.  We will continue to use every available mechanism until every member´s Phoenix-related issues has been resolved.

The government has acknowledged our concerns and insists there are steps in place to resolve them as outlined in our FAQ´s . To date, the community of bargaining agents, including the AJC, has convinced Treasury Board to establish a process that allows for the filing of a claim for certain expenses incurred because of the problems related to the Phoenix Pay system.  A working group of bargaining agent heads, Treasury Board and Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) officials (“UMCC”) meet on a regular basis to get the latest updates, review priorities, and try to improve the process.   In addition, a UMCC subcommittee co-chaired by our president, is now responsible for examining the various heads of damages arising out of all pay issues arising since the implementation of Phoenix.  

We have also been promised key changes to the pay call centres, as many members have often found them frustrating and of little assistance.  As we receive updates on new developments we will be sure to keep you posted.

To help keep the pressure on government, we encourage all members to fill in the Public Service Employee Survey questionnaire, which includes questions pertaining to Phoenix. These surveys offer the evidence we need to support our efforts related to ongoing workplace improvement and collective agreement bargaining.

Finally, thanks to many of you who have reached out to us to inform us that among other things, that 2017 lockstep increases or lump sum awards have not yet been received.  We encourage all those with ongoing pay issues to reach out to the Trusted Source or Pay Centre as appropriate in accordance with the process set out in our FAQ.  The AJC´s current ability to influence and escalate matters is strictly limited to non-payment situations.