Leave for Alliance Business and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Respect to Implementation of Union Leave

Introduction

The purpose of this bulletin is to inform organizations in the core public administration (CPA) (Schedules I and IV of the Financial Administration Act) of changes to the union leave cost-recovery process for employees covered under collective agreements with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)^{Footnote 1}.

Under current PSAC collective agreements, leave for Alliance business includes periods of up to three months of continuous leave per fiscal year. A recent adjudication decision^{Footnote 2} allows for such leave to exceed three months cumulative total per fiscal year.

Interim measure to record leave requests

Currently, human resources (HR) systems and leave code 641 do not allow entry of related leave requests beyond three months of cumulative leave per fiscal year. While HR systems are being amended to remove this restriction for employees covered under PSAC collective agreements, CPA organizations are instructed to proceed with related leave requests via the form GC178, Leave Application and Absence Report, using leave code 641. This interim measure only applies in circumstances where the cumulation of the eligible leave periods exceeds three months within a fiscal year. Periods of eligible leave under three months cumulative should continue to be captured in the HR systems. Periods of continuous leave will remain limited to three months and should continue to be recorded in the HR systems as well.

During this interim measure, reimbursements should proceed as per the current process. However, CPA organizations will need to establish an interim method for tracking the leave usage exceeding three months cumulative total leave per fiscal year in order to fulfill step 4.1 of the cost-recovery procedures (found on GCXchange).

A new bulletin will be issued to advise CPA organizations when the permanent solution has come into effect.

Leave for Alliance business application

Considering the nature of the leave provisions covered by the Alliance business cost-recovery process, as stated in clause 14.15^{Footnote 3}, circumstances of employees requesting more than three months of cumulative periods of eligible leave for union business in a year are expected to be exceptional. Indeed, the leave provisions covered by the cost-recovery process are limited to the following:

• 14.02 – Applications for certification and representations and interventions with respect to applications for certification.
• 14.09 – Contract negotiation meetings.
• 14.10 – Preparatory contract negotiation meetings.
• 14.12 – Board of Directors meetings, Executive Board meetings, conventions, conferences and committee meetings.
• 14.13 – Representatives’ training courses.

Cost-recovery process

Here is a summary of the process, with full details available at the link on page 2:

• PSAC provides a signed-off Union Authorization Letter to the member authorizing their participation in a union activity prescribed in clause 14.15.^{Footnote 4}
• The employee sends a leave request indicating the union activity for which the leave is requested, as well as the applicable clause of the collective agreement.
• The manager reviews the Union Authorization Letter and ensures its compliance with collective agreement parameters, after which they approve or deny the leave.
• If the leave is approved, management sends the Union Authorization Letter to the departmental Corporate Labour Relations (LR).
• Corporate LR then prepares leave usage reports and sends them to Finance along with the Union Authorization Letters.
• Finance then proceeds with the appropriate steps to invoice the PSAC.

Note that the cost-recovery process does not cover leave without pay situations of employees who are elected as full-time officials of the Alliance (clause 14.14^{Footnote 5}).

Any questions regarding the above should be directed to your organization’s Corporate LR. If required, they will request the departmental designated representative responsible for submitting interpretation requests to direct the questions to the interpretations team within the Employee Relations and Total Compensation Sector using the designated form.

Original signed by

Stephen Diotte

Chief Negotiator and Executive Director
Strategic Compensation Management
Employee Relations and Total Compensation
Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer