Bargaining Update 13

The AJC negotiations team met with Treasury Board negotiators on Wednesday in a resuscitated effort after the AJC protested Treasury Board's unilateral decision to cancel bargaining (see article). 

As you may be aware, TB has been working on a wage comparability study for 6 months and has wanted to wait until its completion.  While the negotiation team was confident that a properly conducted study would confirm our position, we do not see it as necessary.   
  
The AJC had provided reliable wage comparability data collected in conjunction with the Canadian Association of Crown Counsel since the beginning of bargaining in 2014 and has kept it up to date.  This data clearly demonstrates that federal government lawyers are paid less than most of our provincial counterparts. 
  
Nevertheless, TB was not available until November and agreed to provide the AJC with the study by October 31. When this date arrived, TB refused to provide the study, claiming it suffered from "serious methodological flaws".  TB has told the AJC that they intend to fix the study. We are concerned about the impact of any efforts to shape a study on its objectivity.  We have demanded to see the study, and have filed multiple access requests to learn how the study was requisitioned. 
  
During our session on November 9th, the AJC presented its final package of proposals.  TB has asked us to return to the table in December to present their comprehensive settlement proposal including a wage proposal.  We also expect to be presented with TB's offer on a new sick leave proposal, recast as the Employee Wellness Support Programme, which has been the subject of protracted bargaining with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) in a marathon bargaining session which is still underway (see article). 

The AJC has agreed to meet Treasury Board for three days in December.  Tentative dates have been set subject to confirmation.