Work Force Adjustment is underway in the federal public service. To support its members, the AJC has created the Work Force Adjustment Alternation List. The List will help opting members who want to remain in the public service find and potentially exchange substantive positions with a non-affected member who wants to leave.  

Simply log in to the members’ only section of the AJC’s website to learn more about alternation and the AJC’s Alternation List, including how to add your name to the AJC's List today.

Right to alternation

Members have rights under the National Joint Council’s Work Force Adjustment Directive (NJC Directive) including the right to participate in alternation in certain circumstances. 

An alternation occurs when an opting employee who wishes to remain in the federal public service exchanges substantive positions with a non-affected employee willing to leave the core public administration under the terms of Part VI of the NJC Directive. The NJC Directive allows opting and surplus employees who are surplus as a result of having chosen Option 6.4.1(a), to alternate into an indeterminate position that remains in the core public administration.  

The opting member would exchange substantive positions with a non-affected member who wants to leave, provided both parties meet criteria such as level, language profile and security clearance requirements for the position. The alternation must occur within the opting person’s 120-day opting period and alternation must occur on a given date (i.e., the same day). Opting members and non-affected members interested in alternation are expected to communicate and coordinate with one another and with management. The final decision on alternation rests with management.

Key to this process is ensuring non-affected members interested in alternation register early on alternation platforms. That’s why the AJC has created and launched the Work Force Adjustment Alternation List – just for AJC members. 

Opting and non-affected members interested in alternation should also registers on all employer platforms, including the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Interdepartmental Alternation Community. 

Non-affected members who successfully alternate receive a transitional support measure – a lump sum payment based on years of service. Depending on age and years of service, some may also qualify for a pension waiver, which enables early retirement with an unreduced pension. Alternation can help mitigate job losses among impacted employees – your AJC colleagues. 

Members considering alternation should carefully review the National Joint Council Work Force Adjustment Directive, particularly section 6.3, and contact compensation and pension centres to help assess their unique circumstances. Members can also contact the AJC should they have questions and consult the AJC’s frequently asked questions on Work Force Adjustment.

Our commitment

Broad cuts to the public service driven by short-sighted political promises hurt everyone. The government should be strengthening Canada’s legal team – not cutting it and risking the loss of talented professionals who help keep Canadians safe. 

From the outset of the Work Force Adjustment and the Comprehensive Expenditure Review, the Association of Justice Counsel has been clear with the employer: members deserve meaningful consultation and a transparent, supportive process. 

The AJC will continue to defend Canada’s legal team during the uncertainties of Work Force Adjustment – pressing the employer to continue to meet its legal obligations, as well as its moral obligations to AJC members impacted by Work Force Adjustment, and supporting members through resources, information sessions and guidance. That includes practical solutions to help opting and non-affected members find opportunities through alternation. 

Log in today to add your name to the AJC’s Work Force Adjustment Alternation List – and be sure to spread the word to LP colleagues.

About the AJC

The Association of Justice Counsel (AJC) is the union defending Canada’s legal team. Our 3,500+ members are Federal Crown Counsel and articling students employed by the Government of Canada in the Department of Justice, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, and in various federal agencies, tribunals and courts across Canada.