IBEW and Treasury Board Exchange Proposals
On August 20, the IBEW and Treasury Board exchanged bargaining proposals to formally begin the negotiating process.
For its part, the union is bringing forward some unfinished business from the last round of bargaining, taking new approaches to outstanding problems and introducing some new (and unique) proposals to address unusual circumstances.
Similarly, the employer is re-introducing some unfinished business of its own. You will see the usual demands to roll-back your right to bank overtime, further reduce the cap on carryover of vacation leave, and remove the right to access leave for the care of an immediate family member. In an unusual move, the government is also tabling a wage offer (0.5% per year) for a four year agreement.
In line with the government?s intention to radically alter your sick leave benefits, we received a presentation which can best be described as a weak sales pitch on the need for change. The presentation (available here) relies on data which is not at all representative of the EL group. It is a well established fact that sick leave usage in the EL community is well below the public service average --- and the employer know this. However, short-term disability provisions and sick leave are all negotiable items so the IBEW will deal with them as such.
Our next meeting with government negotiators is scheduled for September 23-25 inclusive and you can expect to see more commentary on the employer?s proposals in the coming days. In the meantime, members are free to contact me with any questions they may have.
In Solidarity,
Daniel J Boulet
Business Manager / Financial Secretary