Federal Public Service Compensation & Benefits

[Brad Sallows]

Then I suppose the problem lies with the people drawn towards that kind of job culture in the first place, not with the employer's policies.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The tickets required, involve a career at sea to obtain them, at this stage they are either looking for some form of home stability or to maximize their income prior to retirement. We used to be able to offer the former, now we can offer neither. To give you an idea how bad it is, DFO reduced their habitat biologists by 60 and required everyone to compete for the remaining jobs, but 80 said "F off" and left, now they struggle to fill the 60 positions and industry snapped up the majority of the people. The amount of corporate knowledge that walked out the door was breathtaking. 

 

[Brad Sallows]

I think everyone would like stability (predictability, security) and to maximize income prior to retirement.  But usually one is exchanged for the other.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Some people do well in a higher profit, greater risk environment and take that last 15 years to maximize the income, often retiring early and working for industry as consultants/contractors. To attract the talent that we need, you have to have something to offer them and currently we don't have anything to do so.

 

[DBA]

Some people do well in a higher profit, greater risk environment and take that last 15 years to maximize the income, often retiring early and working for industry as consultants/contractors. To attract the talent that we need, you have to have something to offer them and currently we don't have anything to do so.

One option is to create positions that require less training, knowledge and skills so the pool of applicants grows enough to fill them all. Usually wages come down as well which unions will fight tooth and nail which makes it hard to do for public sector workers.

An example would be the fast food industry which replaced cooks with basically assembly line workers by standardizing all the tasks involved. There are still some even higher paid positions developing the processes but the bulk of the food preparation workers don't need extensive skills.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

They have a limited developmental program but they still need significant tickets to get into that as well. You really don't want process monkeys for inspectors, things generally go off the rails badly when you do.

 

[DBA]

They have a limited developmental program but they still need significant tickets to get into that as well. You really don't want process monkeys for inspectors, things generally go off the rails badly when you do.

Another option is to split the skills required across jobs in some way for a portion of the work so you don't need as many people with all the requirements. For inspections that would usually be a team that updates surveys (document any changes since the last inspection with pictures, measurements, take samples etc) that are then reviewed by inspectors before an inspection to help plan it or in lieu of one. Like sending oil and lubricant samples from a large engine off to a lab for analysis with the results then being used to optimize the frequency and scope of more costly engine inspections and maintenance.

Speaking in general of course, I don't know enough specifics to tell if actually applies to your situation.

 

[McG]

By law, Member of Parliament pay increases equivalent to the average large private sector union pay increases of the year.  At least they did not vote themselves a pay raise, but the optics of MPs getting a larger increase while the public service gets small increases is not so great.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Raises+senators+more+than+double+average+wage+boost+public/9593722/story.html 

 

[Tibbson]

By law, Member of Parliament pay increases equivalent to the average large private sector union pay increases of the year.  At least they did not vote themselves a pay raise, but the optics of MPs getting a larger increase while the public service gets small increases is not so great.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Raises+senators+more+than+double+average+wage+boost+public/9593722/story.html

Not that anything like optics has stopped them before.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Some of the latest on government sick leave, from the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (full report attached):

The mandate of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) is to provide independent analysis to Parliament on the state of the nation’s finances, the government’s estimates, and trends in the national economy; and upon request from a committee or parliamentarian, to estimate the financial cost of any proposal for matters over which Parliament has jurisdiction.

In February 2014, PBO published a report estimating the fiscal impact of paid sick leave in the federal public service at $871 million in 2011-12. PBO received a follow-up request from Mr. Paul Dewar, Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, to undertake an independent financial analysis of the variance in sick leave costs among departments.

Summary
Data obtained by the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) from individual core public administration (CPA) departments demonstrate a notable variance among organizations in the use of sick leave. This report provides a snapshot of the fiscal and budgetary materiality of paid sick leave based on 20 CPA departments. The analysis suggests that in 2011-12 the incremental cost of paid sick leave was not fiscally material and did not represent material costs for departments in the CPA.

Data quality and availability limit PBO’s ability to provide Parliament with fiscal analysis of sick leave in the public service. Data provided to PBO by TBS are highly aggregated, while data obtained from departments suffer from significant inconsistencies that prevent reconciliation. Parliamentarians should keep these limitations in mind when drawing conclusions based on analysis derived from these data sets.

 

[Remius]

Interesting.  11.8 for National Defence (I'm guessing that is only for civilian employees).

I doubt that it will have an impact on the "negociations" but it does put the government's position on a weak footing.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Another option is to split the skills required across jobs in some way for a portion of the work so you don't need as many people with all the requirements. For inspections that would usually be a team that updates surveys (document any changes since the last inspection with pictures, measurements, take samples etc) that are then reviewed by inspectors before an inspection to help plan it or in lieu of one. Like sending oil and lubricant samples from a large engine off to a lab for analysis with the results then being used to optimize the frequency and scope of more costly engine inspections and maintenance.

Speaking in general of course, I don't know enough specifics to tell if actually applies to your situation.

there is some truth in this, we ran a "team concept" with 1 inspector and 1 assistant covering off a geographical area. It worked really well, our paperwork side was orderly and file load and production was pretty much 3x that of all the other regions. The only downside is that when both team members were away due to sick,course, meeting, inspections other people in the office were not very aware of what was going in that area. I am still a big believer in this approach but sadly I am mostly alone. The cuts wiped out most of our assistants and now we are doing the whole Province, so you don't have the same awareness or connections to help you do a proper review. They tell us to make use of "partners in other agencies" However most of my local contacts have been laid off as well.

 

[Remius]

Here we go.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/clement-wants-to-cut-public-servants-sick-days-to-five

Looks to me like the Mr. Clement is trying to lowball his first proposal to get somewhere in the middle.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Gee thanks, I have around 1,000hrs banked and will be punished for not using it. I always saw that time as an insurance policy in case I get hurt or really sick. I did not mind that it vanishes when I retire, but sticking a knife in me is not cool. I guess they missed the bit where more enlightened employers paid out a percentage of the sick leave bank as a reward for not abusing it. I guess that's to much private sector for them? Rewarding workers, cutting process, accepting actual risk...... :

Frankly at this point I would like to walk every political party off a short plank into a deep ocean. The Libs and NDP scapegoat me for being a gun owner and the CPC scapegoats me for being a Public Servant.

 

[dapaterson]

Le Droit has a good summary of the proposal. I suspect it is a barfaining position, and the endstate  will be more or less what Canada Post got - 7 days per year, max rollover of 5, unused cashed out annually, short term disability at 70%, with old sick credits used to top up short term disability up to 100%.

 

[Northern Ranger]

This just pisses me off.  We had a person that abused it and it was taken care of by management. As an aging worker I cherish the fact that I have mine in the bank.  There are so many other things that they should be focusing on.  I'm a PC at heart but when they attack me under the pretence of helping the newer employee .....

 

[larry Strong]

This is what pisses me off.

"Counting weekends, vacations, statutory holidays, sick days, family days and personal days, federal employees can already get between 150 and 165 days off every year with full pay," Thomas said.

Must be nice!!

Public servants want paid days off to grieve 'spirit friends'

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/politics/archives/2014/09/20140911-151206.html

OTTAWA - The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) wants its members to be able to take paid grieving days for "aboriginal spirit friends."

The Educational and Library Science group of the public servant union did not offer an explanation or definition of "aboriginal spirit friend," but wants the term added to the list of family members workers can take days off to mourn.

Gilles Benoit of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, said he's never heard the term before.

A PSAC spokesman attempted to define "aboriginal spirit friend," saying "it refers to the loss of a spiritual leader in the community, such as an elder. We have negotiated bereavement leave in other agreements for such losses."

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) said the term appears to be a creation of PSAC -- perhaps a reference to spirit guides that are "commonly considered to be religious spirits or ghosts and can take human or animal form."

The taxpayer watchdog group is stunned by the demand.

"They want 10 days off with pay if an imaginary friend dies," CTF national director Greg Thomas said in a statement. "These people might as well be working at imaginary jobs."

The Treasury Board -- the government department that negotiates with the union -- didn't say whether it was aware of the definition of "aboriginal spirit friends," but affirmed its commitment to negotiating "in good faith" with the unions.

Earlier Thursday, PSAC criticized a government proposal to reduce the number of sick days for federal service workers.

"If implemented, workers will be forced to choose between going to work sick or losing pay for basic necessities," according to a PSAC press release.

A spokesman for Treasury Board president Tony Clement said the government's focus was "creating a short-term disability plan that would help public servants get healthy and back to work."

PSAC also wants an extra week of paid holiday every year for employees, and demand taxpayers contribute one cent for every hour worked by unionized federal workers to a "social justice fund" controlled by the union.

"Counting weekends, vacations, statutory holidays, sick days, family days and personal days, federal employees can already get between 150 and 165 days off every year with full pay," Thomas said.

What a load of horse puckies.....





Larry

 

[Northern Ranger]

So now we count weekends?  Stats?  Way to screw the figures up.  As for the aboriginal spirit friends that would be only for the aboriginals I suspect and considering how many are in the PS it would be a drop in the bucket compared to other types of religious holidays that are taken.  Can't wait for them to come up with the Cf plan on sick days 

Report to MIR with the flu?  Not service related. After five days cease to be a member and collect EI?

 

[Remius]

This is what pisses me off.  Must be nice!!

It would be if it was actually true.  :

 

[larry Strong]

It would be if it was actually true.  :

Oops, just checked my calendar...yup todays the 1st of April.....


Larry