Information Bulletin - Alternation

Alternation (Work Force Adjustment Agreements)

The Work Force AdjustmentDirective (WFAD) and Agreements (WFAA) apply to indeterminate non-EX employees in the core public administration. They do not apply to the EX group or EX equivalent groups that are covered by the Career Transition Directive.

All the agreements provide for an alternation process when an opting employee (not a surplus employee) wishing to remain employed in the core public administration, exchanges positions with an alternate employee (non-affected employee) willing to leave with a transition support measure WFAA/D Section (6.3.1 option (b) or the education allowance (WFAA/D Section 6.3.1 option (c)(i)).

An indeterminate employee wishing to leave the core public administration may express an interest in alternating with an opting employee. Management will decide, however, whether a proposed alternation will result in retaining the skills required to meet the ongoing needs of the position and the core public administration.

The WFAD and WFAAs provide that it is the policy of the Employer to maximize employment opportunities for indeterminate employees affected by work force adjustment situations, primarily through ensuring that, wherever possible, alternative employment opportunities are provided to them. Alternation is an important tool in ensuring the success of this policy.

Overview

• All departments and organizations in the core public administration must participate in the alternation process (WFAA/D Section 6.2.1).
• Alternate employee is the person who wishes to leave the core public service by exchanging their position with an opting employee who wishes to remain in the public service (WFAA/D Section 6.2.4).
• Opting employee is the person who receives the opting letter (WFAA/D Section 6.2.3).
• An alternation must permanently eliminate a function or a position (WFAA/D Section 6.2.5).
• Alternations normally occur at the same group and level or equivalencies as outlined in the WFAA/D (WFAA/D Section 6.2.7). Positions are considered equivalent when the maximum rate of pay for the higher paid position is no more than six per cent (6%) higher than the maximum rate of pay for the lower paid position.
• Management has the ultimate decision on whether a proposed alternation will result in retaining the skills required to meet the ongoing needs of the position and the core public administration (WFAA/D Sections 6.2.4, 6.2.6).

Key Considerations

An alternation occurs when an opting employee who wishes to remain in the core public administration exchanges positions with an alternate (a non-affected employee) willing to leave the core public administration. It is the alternate employee's manager who will consider whether the opting employeehas the skills required to meet the ongoing needs of the position and the core public administration.

The opting employee and alternate employee exchange positions on the same day and the alternation proposal must have been submitted and approved within the opting period of 120 or 90 calendar days (as per the applicable collective agreement). The actual alternation of positions should take place as soon as possible after it is approved but can take place after the 90 or 120 day period in some instances, such as when the processing of the approved alternation is blocked by unexpected administrative delays. The departure date of the alternate employee should normally be within five days of the alternation taking place to ensure that the opting position subject to workforce adjustment is eliminated as soon as possible.

Alternations generally take place in an employee's local area or can also occur between two individuals in different regions. Any ensuing relocation costs are typically paid by the home department where the opting position resides. The costs may be shared by the two organizations. Such relocation costs are authorized in accordance with the provisions of the National Joint Council Relocation Directive.

Alternations will normally occur between employees at the same group and level. Positions are considered equivalent when the maximum rate of pay for the higher paid position is not more then 6% higher than the maximum rate of pay for the lower paid position.

On April 10, 2012, the Public Service Commission (PSC) enacted an Exclusion Approval Order (EAO) which excludes the alternate from certain provisions of the Public Service Employment Act to facilitate the alternation process.

The PSC has also put in place a transition measure with respect to alternations in bilingual positions. Hence, when an employee is appointed or deployed to a bilingual position as a result of an alternation, their second language evaluation (SLE) test results that are over five years old will be deemed valid, provided that they agree to obtain new, valid SLE test results that meet the linguistic profile of their new position within 12 months of the appointment or deployment.

An opting employee, who has secured management approval for an alternation with an employee at a lower level, will be appointed to the lower position with no salary protection.  In this case, the alternate employee will leave the core public administration with a transition measure for the higher level of the opting position.

The Process

Roles

Tools/Practices

The following is a list of other tools/practices that are also available to opting employees to assist them with their search for alternate employment:

• Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) – maintains an internal Alternation Forum;
• Treasury Board Secretariat – maintains an alternation web page (part of employees corner) and a dedicated email address facilitates internal alternations;
• Health Canada – has established an "Employment continuity database";
• Department of National Defence – has established a database to facilitate alternations;
• Computer Science (CS) Group – created a GCPedia page to facilitate alternations for the CS group;
• Physical Science (PC) Community - created a GCPedia page to facilitate alternations for the PC group;
• Information Specialist (IS) Community – created a GCPedia page to facilitate alternations for the IS group.
• Human Resources Council (HRC) – is actively sharing information on opting employees with the Heads of Departments/organizations.
• Frequently Asked Questions on Work Force Adjustment
• The Public Service Alliance of Canada(PSAC)
• The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC)
• The Canadian Association of Public Employees (CAPE) have extensive websites that include information about alternation and other important Workforce Adjustment issues.