Minutes from ECLMCC Meeting on June 14, 2010

Minutes from ECLMCC Meeting on June 14, 2010

Minutes
Environment Canada Labour Management Consultation Committee (ECLMCC)
June 14, 2010
Management Representatives
Ian Shugart, Deputy Minister / Jim Vollmershausen, RDG for Ontario
Bob Hamilton, Associate Deputy Minister / Randal Cripps, RDG for PNR
Danielle Lacasse, A/ADM for Meteorological Service / Al Wallace, A/RDG for PYR
Chuck Shawcross, Chief Information Officer / Philippe Morel, RDG for Quebec
Michael J. Keenan, ADM for Strategic Policy / Daniel Lebel, RDG for Atlantic
Dean Knudson, A/ADM for International Affairs / Charles Slowey, DG for Communications
Brian Gray, ADM for Science & Technology / Carol Najm, DG for Audit & Evaluation
Basia Ruta, ADM for Finance & Corporate / Deirdre Keane, DG for HR Programs
Cynthia Wright, ADM for Environmental Stewardship / Donna Richard, DG for National HR Services
Mike Beale, A/Associate ADM for Environmental Stewardship / Michelle Laframboise, Director, Compensation, Labour Relations & Classification
Lynette Cox, ADM for Human Resources / Martine Sigouin, Manager, Labour Relations
Albin Tremblay, Chief Enforcement Officer / Carol Doiron, Senior Labour Relations Advisor
Michèle Hort, Senior Labour Relations Advisor
Labour Representatives
Bill Sukloff, PIPSC (Pres., National Consultation Team) / Ole Jacobsen, PIPSC (VP, National Consultation Team)
William Pynn, UEW-PSAC / Daryl Hoelke, UEW–PSAC
Manon Desormeaux, UEW–PSAC / Luc Gervais, CAPE

Opening remarks

The Deputy Minister(DM) welcomed members to thisfirstmeeting of the fiscal year and introduced Al Wallace who is acting Regional Director General (RDG) for the Pacific and Yukon Region (PYR) while Paul Kluckner is on language training.

Review of Agenda Items & Approval

The agenda was approved.

Review of Minutes from November 12, 2009

The minutes from the last meeting were approved.

Budgets

The DM began by explaining that all government departments are required to demonstrate fiscal discipline over the next three (3) years. Many of these restraints come from Budget 2010 which includes a cap on spending in the areas of hospitality and travel as well as departments being responsible to cover the expenses associated with wage increases( 1.5%) for their staff as set out in the collective agreements within their current OM budget. In Environment Canada (EC), the DM does not foresee a staffing freeze however noted that we will be required to implement the requirements of Budget 2010 as well as look at ways to decrease other spending to ensure we are in line with the current atmosphere of spendingconstraints within the Public Service.

The DM explained that the Prime Minister has formed a committee of senior officials to undertake an administrative review of all the support services in the Government of Canada. As this process has just gotten underway, the DM does not have more details or the terms of reference for this committee. When further information is available the DM will share this with the unions.

Strategic Review

The DM explained that Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) has considered EC’s Strategic Review submission. The government has decided on Strategic Review savings for EC in the amount of $13.7M in 2010-11 and $19.7M in 2011-12 and ongoing. Branch Heads are analyzing the results from a people management perspective and are working with HRB, Finance and Communications to develop a plan. It appears that the impact on indeterminate staff is minimal as managers have been planning for this review and have not staffed certain positions as they became vacant. The initial analysis indicates that approximately 12 FTEs could potentially be impacted in the following bargaining units:

• PIPSC – 4
• UEW (PSAC) – 4
• CAPE – 4

The department will be required to report this to TBS in the near future. Branch Heads will communicate with the unions of potentially affected employees once the analysis and path forward is developed. Management will work with unions and employees to minimize the impact on employees. In reply to a request for more information, the DM confirmed that a copy of the strategic review report cannot be shared with the unions because it is protected under Cabinet Confidence.

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) thanked management for providing more details on both the budgets and the strategic review. PIPSC main concern is proper and timely communication with unions and staff. It would appreciate being informed beforehand in order to better manage calls from employees. PIPSC feels that it would be beneficial to have a communication plan in place in order to better inform employees. PIPSC also expressed concern that, if management intends to address the cuts by attrition, employees will be required to take on more work, e.g. in the labs. PIPSC also encouraged managers to use the tools already in place in the Labour Management framework such as the local/regional LMCC so they can effectively participate in these discussions.

The Union of Environment Workers (UEW) reinforced PIPSC message and it requested a clarification on the administrative review mentioned by the DM. In addition, UEW explained that employees want to get a sense of where the department is going and how the cuts will be absorbed in the department. UEW noted that they had not been advised from the centre about an administrative review of support functions.

The Associate DM explained that this review is really at its early stages so there are not a lot of details. However, it is his understanding that this review will take a broader perspective on all support functions within the Government of Canada and it will take into consideration the information gathered through the CASS review.

The DM reiterated that the department is not contemplating a staffing freeze at this time. This does not mean however that some vacant positions may not be filled. As for the workloads, the DM agrees that the department cannot expect employees to do the same work with less people or less money. This may mean that timelines will have to be negotiated with stakeholders. Managers will have to ensure that the people side is considered in all decisions and thatthe Terms and Conditions of Employment are respected.

ACTION: The ADM of S&T and the President, PIPSC National Consultation Team will meet to discuss staffing issues in the laboratories.

People Management Priorities

Based on the Public Service Survey, Speech from the Throne and People Management Renewal Action Plan, the Executive Management Committee (EMC) has approved three (3) priorities for 2010-11:

• Deploying Talent to the Right Place at the Right Time
• Retaining and Developing Employees
• Empowering Managers and Engaging Employees

UEW expressed its concern in the use of staffing pools and in the hiring of students rather than staffing vacant positions. It also requested a copy of the quarterly report on long-term actings and terms.

PIPSC expressed its concern with the wide use of generic work descriptions. PIPSC also indicated that the hiring of students can be very valuable in succession planning.

The ADM for HR clarified that, based on the strategy presented today (see attached presentation), Branch Heads will through their planning process will be looking at their individual management needs as well. In order to encourage students to return to EC, the DM meets with them before they leave to discuss their experience with the department.

ACTION: UEW requested a copy of the quarterly report on long-term actings and terms. These lists and this year’s commitments will be shared at the July HRLMCC.

EC Website

PIPSC expressed their concern that some articles on the EC website have a political slant. It feels that this is an EC website and should only be promoting EC endeavours vs Government of Canada initiatives. For example, they feel that more emphasis should be given to the DM and EC’s accomplishments.

The DG for Communications explained that there has been considerable work done into updating the website over the past year and making it compliant with the latest technical and accessibility requirements. He reminded them that the Minister is the main spokesperson for the department and does make a large number of announcements on policies, programs and initiatives. He also confirmed that departments chose different layouts. We have chosen, as other departments, to present announcements and events with the Minister on the front page as well as other EC portals.

The DM agreed that the content on the website has to be true, factual and non-partisan.

ACTION: PIPSC will contact the DG of Communications directly when there is an article that it feels has a political slant.

Classification

HR met with UEW on May 26 to discuss generic work descriptions, in particular for the AS & CR groups. The use of generics was discussed and the path forward for these generic work descriptions was outlined as per attached presentation.

ACTION: UEW requested an update on how many work descriptions are more than 5 years old. This information as well as the content of the TBS directive will be discussed at HRLMCC.

Bottled Water

The ADM Finance & Corporate explained that the unions were invited to review and provide feedback on a draft EC Bottled Water policy. The intent is to remove all water coolers and water filtration systems in the workplaces where water has been adequately tested and is proven to be safe to drink. Measures are currently underway to test water in all our buildings annually. Questions and answers are currently being developed and will be placed on the website to address employee concerns.

UEW expressed its appreciation to the department for having provided a copy of the draft policy to the union for comments. UEW supports the endeavour to remove the bottle water but wanted the department’s assurance that the drinking water would be tested regularly to ensure it is clean and safe. UEW maintained that the involvement of the workplace H&S Committee was essential since each workplace may have different circumstances to consider.

PIPSC reiterated the importance of having the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) committee involved in such issues.

The DM assured everyone that this topic was driven by the OHS committee.

Staffing Issues

The DM reiterated that managers are delegated to make staffing decisions and that they are supported by HR Advisors, policies and guidelines when making these decisions. He indicated that training on staffing that will be delivered to managers this fiscal yearwill include a module on informal discussions. He also informed everyone that the Public Service Commission (PSC) is currently auditing EC staffing files. If there are any issues raised, the department will take appropriate action.

PIPSC acknowledged that the department is improving but still feels that too many acting notifications are posted after the fact. It also feels that the informal or tribunal processes are not effective. It feels that the delegated manager should be able to explain all staffing decisions regardless if there is a formal complaint lodged or not.

ACTION: EC to provide the PSC audit results to the unions once we receive them. Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) requested stats on non-advertised appointments and a few examples of justifications provided.

Accommodation

The ADM for Finance & Corporate explained that the department has developed a national accommodations planning process entitled “Accommodations Investment Planning” (AIP). The aim is to provide senior management with an overall view of all accommodations activities and allow the department to make strategic decisions on accommodation. This will translate into less disruption for employees but also provide an opportunity to ensure more comprehensive communications with them about accommodation changes.

Movement of Work Unit

PIPSC felt that management should inform employees as soon as possible of any change in workplace or work unit, no matter how minimal.

The DM agreed that we should make every effort to keep employees and union representatives informed of planned department moves as early in the process as is reasonable.

Update on Parking

The ADM for Finance & Corporate explained that the implementation date for the TBS policy has been changed to July 1, 2010. However, it is highly unlikely that they will be ready to do so on that date for any of our locations but we expect implementation would begin within about 3 months. Implementation for mobility impaired persons will take effect on July 1, 2011.

Internally, EC is developing its own parking policy based on the generic policy, and consultation with Unions was undertaken in early June. Given that this is primarily shaped by government policy, scope for substantive input will be limited.

An update on the parking issue was communicated to all staff on June 3, 2010. The ADM indicated that EC is still waiting for the rates from PWGSC. The department will continue to keep our unions up to date through bilaterals and at various meetings.

PIPSC would still like the opportunity to provide comments on the EC policy. PIPSC also feels that EC should be doing a lot more than what is required under the policy.

UEW reminded that it is important to look at the aftermath and potential accommodation situations, especially for mobility impaired persons and shift workers.

ACTION: PIPSC requested the methodology used to calculate market value.

OHS Issue at Vancouver Date Centre

The ADM for CIOB provided a brief summary of the situation at the Vancouver Data Centre. He acknowledged that he did not meet the 30-day deadline in providing the report from the IT consulting firm to the OHS committee. This was due to the fact that he wanted to ensure that the department was well versed with its content before releasing. Nonetheless, he recognizes that EC should have respected the timelines as outlined in the Canada Labour Code in relations to submitting the reports to the OHS committee.

PIPSC expressed their disappointment in the handling of this situation. The issues had first been noticed back in 2008 and are only now being addressed in 2010. He reiterated the importance of the OHS committees and the value in the work they perform. He suggested that the National Joint OHS Policy Committee review its policy to ensure that the committees have the powers required to resolve issues. In addition, PIPSC feels that the department responses to the 3 recommendations from HRSDC are very vague.

The DM indicated that the local OHS committees have the appropriate authorities.

ACTION: National OHS Committee to conduct a “lessons Learned” review and share their findings with local OHS committees.

The DM had to leave the meeting. Before leaving, he thanked Ole Jacobsen for his dedicated work on labour management Consultation Committees. He wished Mr. Jacobsen all the best in his retirement.

The Associate DM chaired the remainder of the meeting.

Standing Items

(a) Employment Equity & Diversity

The RDG for Ontario provided the following update. As of March 31, 2010, we have the following under-representation (see attached analysis for more detail):

• Women in the EX, SE-REM, SE-RES, CS, EG and GT groups
• Aboriginal peoples in the EX and SE-RES groups
• Persons with disabilities in the BI, EC, PC, MT, SE-RES and GT groups
• Visible minorities in the BI, CH, EN-ENG, CS, AS, EG, and GT groups

EE commitments are included in all the EXPerformance Assessments and will be tailored to the branch’s specific areas of under-representation. This year’s priorities from the EE Action plan will include:

• development of an on-line information session on EE for employees and managers.
• development of a new accessibility plan to ensure that EC’s workplace and buildings are accessible to employees with disabilities.

(b) Regional Update on Labour Management Framework

Each RDG provided an update on labour management relations in his respective region. All labour management meetings both at the local and regional levels are occurring on a regular basis.

ACTION: The national UEW office will be added to the distribution list for LMCC meetings at all levels.

Round Table

UEW brought forth the following additional items:

1. Assignments in Communication Branch: UEW expressed its concern to the department that the Minutes of the Atlantic Regional UMCC meeting implied that consultation with the Branch occurred at the national level when it in fact did not.

ACTION: HR will follow-up with the DG for Communications to provide clarification and will ensure the Atlantic RLMCC minutes reflect the reality of the situation.

1. JPL Training: UEW suggested that the ECLMCC members take the union management consultation training through JLP.

1. Labour Management Framework: UEW suggested it was time to review this framework.

ACTION: At the July HRLMCC meeting, the group will determine a review process for the framework and the outcome will be presented during the Fall ECLMCC.