Program and Services Delivery Clerk (PSDC) – Update on the Resolution of Grievance

Background

• As you are aware, a number of employees who worked in Pensions and Integrity operations filed content grievances against the Program and Services Delivery Clerk (PSDC) job description in 2008.
• Following a third level grievance hearing on job content grievances in 2012, management committed in March 2013 to revising the job description and to submitting the revised version for a classification evaluation. Employees, the union and management contributed to the development of the job description. A classification committee evaluated the job description against existing Government of Canada classification standards while considering the relativity of similar jobs and the organizational context. The Department agreed with the committee’s observations that there was in fact two streams of work being performed by PSDCs.
• As a result, in February 2019, the Department developed and implemented two new job descriptions; a Program Services Officer (PM-01) and a Program Support Clerk (CR-04).
• The following serves to update you on the progress made. For more details, please see questions and answers. 

Status update

• Management with the support of the Human Resources Services Branch is working diligently to resolve each situation efficiently and effectively with the goal of adjusting employees’ salaries.
• The Department will continue to keep employees informed on progress, and provide additional information on timelines as work proceeds.

Applicable to all

• The Department continues to work in close collaboration with the union to implement these new job descriptions, particularly the new PM-01 Program Services Officer.
• The Department has developed a close partnership with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to ensure efficient coordination of compensation efforts between Employment and Social Development Canada compensation and PSPC Pay Centre.
• A working group has been established between the two Departments. This working group will undertake various technical activities to minimize Phoenix impacts on reclassified employees, develop compensation-focused questions and answers, and adjust business processes to ensure efficiency and timeliness.
• The Department anticipates submitting 50 cases per week to the Pay Centre beginning in the fall of 2019. The Pay Centre will integrate these 50 cases into their normal workload.

• Statement of merit criteria and a general assessment document were created to assess employees (both grievors and non-grievors) for an appointment (reclassification) as per legislative requirements.
• The identification and validation of current incumbents’ (both grievors and non-grievors) most recent start date was undertaken and is almost finalized.
• The creation and distribution of appointment letters to employees (non-grievors) is currently underway.
• Once all appointment (reclassification) letters have been issued, the Department will begin examining cases where employees (non-grievors) may be eligible for salary retroactivity.
• The Department is currently working on recreating each grievors employment history (for current incumbents this may be limited to the identification of their most recent start date) by gathering data from numerous HR system and other sources. Once completed, a validation and mapping exercise with management will occur.
• As a result, it is anticipated that some current incumbents who are grievors will be issued their appointment letters at a later date given that these cases will require further engagement to develop grievance resolution agreements.

• The Department is currently working on recreating employment histories for former incumbents who are grievors by gathering data from numerous HR system and other sources.
• Once completed, a validation and mapping exercise with management will occur. Following this exercise, employees will be contacted to validate the information and identify any other periods of previous employment that may be missing.
• Management will then undertake a validation and mapping exercise.
• It is anticipated that resolving former incumbents’ grievances will take some time due to the extensive research that will be required to re-create and map their employment history.
• The Department anticipates completing the documentation by March 31, 2020.