News

It?s hard to know what to make of the Treasury Board?s press releases and their timing. On June 9, to mark the start of National Public Service Week, Minister Clement issues a press release. In it he is quoted as saying:

?The federal public service delivers a wide range of programs and services to support Canadians,? said Minister Clement. ?It is a workforce like no other in the country and it contributes to our success domestically and abroad. The public service must continue to strive for excellence in everything it does. Canadians deserve no less.?

The next day his department issues another press release saying:

?The public service suffers from exceedingly high levels of absenteeism, which is unsustainable for any employer looking to run a highperforming and productive workforce.?

So let me get this straight. The Federal Public Service ?? is a workforce like no other in the country and it contributes to our success domestically and abroad? and at the same time it manages to ?suffer[s] from exceedingly high levels of absenteeism?. Only one of these statement can be true and I?ll bet it?s the first one.

The government was quick to trot out statistics on sick leave usage in the public service. For example, the total average paid sick leave is 11.6 days per year. This includes ?uncertified? and ?certified? sick leave. Add to this 5.6 days per year of unpaid sick leave and you get a total of 17.2 days per year.

If you were to look at these numbers critically, you would realize that the unpaid portion could include employees on long-term disability. For example, employees that have had serious heart attacks or suffering from some terminal illness. These employees are no burden on the employer at all because they are receiving disability insurance benefits. No salary is being paid. The unpaid sickleave sick leave portion could also include employees that have been injured on duty or those who have not yet qualified for disability insurance. However you slice it, this government is choosing numbers to suit a political purpose: vilify their own employees.

Moreover, the government claims that the current unused sick leave credits amount to a $5 billion liability. This is absolute non-sense and it?s disappointing the news media couldn?t be bothered to dig a little deeper. This $5 billion is the theoretical value of all the earned but unused sick leave. It would only be a liability if there was an obligation for the employer to actually pay it out. There is no such obligation therefore there is no such liability. With propaganda like this one wonders where they got $5 billion figure.

Here are more facts to consider: IBEW members consistently use less sick leave than the broader public service. Based on information provided by the Treasury Board during our last round of bargaining, IBEW members used an average of 9.39 days per year (certified and uncertified combined) as compared to 10.70 for the broader public service. So IBEW members use 13% less sick leave than the average public servant. There may be a problem but I suggest it lies elsewhere ? in the management ranks perhaps?

I am not so closed-minded to believe that the current credit based sick-leave system is the best for our members. Many private sector employers (including some of those represented by Local 2228) have plans that better serve the needs of new employees yet do not burden the employer with high costs or greater absenteeism.

I do believe that any changes be must negotiated through a fair collective bargaining process where all relevant facts are shared by skilled Treasury Board negotiators holding real and realistic mandates. A tall order perhaps but to quote Minister Clement, this would be ?an important step to ensuring Canadians are receiving the public service they deserve.?

In Solidarity,

Daniel J Boulet
Business Manager / Financial Secretary