Identification of the ACFO as Bargaining Agent for the new CT Occupational Group
On September 27, 2019, the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (the Board) certified the Association of Canadian Financial Officers (ACFO) as the bargaining agent for the new Comptroller (CT) occupational group. The Board’s decision was effective immediately, despite the fact that the implementation of the CT group will occur at a later date (planned for October 2022).
As a result of this decision, the ACFO now represents employees currently occupying the following positions, as they will become part of the new CT group when implemented:
- Financial Management (FI) positions currently represented by the ACFO;
- Auditing (AU) positions in the Audit, Commerce and Purchasing (AV) group, formerly represented by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC); and
- Administrative Services (AS) positions whose primary purpose is internal audit in the Program and Administrative Services (PA) group, formerly represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).
You are receiving this message because you are part of one of these groups.
Until a collective agreement for the new CT group is reached between the Employer and the ACFO, the existing terms and conditions of employment continue to apply for impacted employees (occupying FI, AU and certain AS positions whose primary purpose is internal audit).
We are currently in a transition period, defined as the period between the CT group certification date (September 27, 2019) and the future effective date of a CT collective agreement and CT group implementation.
In order to move forward with the implementation of the Board’s decision, the Employer and ACFO have agreed in principle on this transition period and associated representation issues.
The Employer and ACFO have jointly developed a letter to be issued to employees who occupy a position that is expected to become part of the new CT group when it is implemented. The purpose of the letter is to inform the employees that ACFO is now their bargaining agent and represents them in labour relations matters. This letter will be distributed through Heads of HR in the near future.
The parties will also work together with PIPSC and the PSAC on the transfer of union dues. We will advise you on timing for the transfer once all parties have reached an agreement on the way forward.
We recognize the sensitivities around these changes and understand that they could result in uncertainty for some people. Rest assured that we are taking the necessary steps to ensure that these changes are implemented with the least disruption possible.
Please direct questions to the classification team NC-NWDB-BDTN-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca or to the Employer Representation in Recourse team for labour relations matters and questions about classification renewal initiatives to the Workforce Organization and Classification team.
Even though we might not have all the answers at this point, the management team and I are available to discuss or to refer your questions to the appropriate resources.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sheri Ostridge
Chief Audit Executive and co-champion for the CT conversion
Employment and Social Development Canada / Government of Canada
sheri.ostridge@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca / Tel : 902-394-6847 / TTY : 819-953-0177